Eat You Alive
by Blue-Eyed Floozy
Summary: Sengoku is a new band. Inu wanted Kag the moment he saw her, even if he didn't know who she was. Now that they've been thrown together, will one kill the other first or will sparks fly?
1. Magnetic

**Disclaimer: I could never own as great an anime as this, much to my disappointment, as I have stated numerous times in my other fics. Nor do I own Metallica or Limp Bizkit. Sucks to be me! .**

**Chapter 1: Magnetic**

The first chords rang out and the crowd went wild. This was what they were here for. The new band, Sengoku, was playing their number one hit "Wherever I May Roam".

Heads started banging and fists jumped in time with the music as the tempo changed courtesy of the drummer, Miroku, from a sitar driven melody to hard rock, and they loved it.

When Miroku started singing they knew it was gonna be awesome.

"_And the road becomes my bride."_

He said the line as hauntingly as he could. It set the tone of the song.

"Miroku!" "Inuyasha!" The screams were synchronized and when Inuyasha started the actual song, the hollers could not be contained.

"_And the road becomes my bride. I have stripped of all but pride. So in her I do confide. And she keeps me satisfied. Gives me all I need. And with dust in throat I crave. Only knowledge will I save. To the game you stay a slave._

_Rover. Wanderer. Nomad. Vagabond. Call me what you will!"_

The screams only grew louder as the crowd began singing at the tops of their lungs. They didn't care if it was off-key. It was their band.

"_Oh. But I'll take my time anywhere. I'm free to speak my mind anywhere. And I'll redefine anywhere. Anywhere I roam. Where I lay my head is home. Yeah."_

The tempo picked up and heads jerked to the beat but the cheers didn't lessen. And when Miroku keyed them again, it was time to rock.

"_And the Earth becomes my throne."_

Miroku voiced through a smile. This was his favorite thing in the world. And looking at Inuyasha as he began the second verse he couldn't believe they were playing in bars just a year ago.

"_And the Earth becomes my throne. I adapt to the unknown. Under wanderin' stars I've grown. By myself but not alone. I ask no one. And my ties are severed clean. Less I have the more I gain. Off the beaten path I reign._

_Rover. Wanderer. Nomad. Vagabond. Call me what you will! _

_Yeah, you will!_

_But I'll take my time anywhere. I'm free to speak my mind anywhere. And I'll never mind anywhere. Anywhere I roam. Where I lay my head is home. Yeah yeah."_

The drummer knew he was flat as he harmonized and from Inuyasha's quick look backwards, he did too.

"_And I take my time anywhere. I'm free to speak my mind! And I'll take my pride anywhere. Anywhere I roam. Where I lay my head is home, I say."_

Now this was Inuyasha's favorite part, time for his solo. He nailed it as Sango kicked up the bass to go behind his electric. Miroku jammed and Inuyasha's fingers flew. All too soon it was over. Time to sing again.

"_But I'll take my time anywhere. I'm free to speak my mind anywhere. And I'll redefine anywhere, Anywhere I roam! Where I lay my head is home._

_Carved upon my stone: 'My body lie, but still I roam'._

_Yeah, yeah._

_Wherever I may roam. Wherever I may roam. Roam! Wherever I may roam. Wherever I may roam. Yeah. Wherever I may wander. Wander. Wander! Wherever I may roam. Yeah. Yeah. Wherever I may roam!"_

They petered off as the song came to an end. Too hyped up with the high of performing to just stop, Inuyasha looked back at his band and they just let loose for a few more minutes. No singing, just doing what they did. Until the awards officials threatened Totosai, their manager, that they were going to unplug them. At which point Totosai stepped from behind the curtain and whistled to get their attention, repeatedly drawing his finger across his neck.

Inuyasha knew it was time to stop and with a heavy heart said, "Thank you everyone for listening to us stink up the stage!" He smirked at the groans and shouts of disagreement. With a little laugh he continued. "I know, I know. The show must go on. Welcome to the Grammy's."

The cheers only got louder as they strutted offstage. The stagehands came out and got it set up for the next performers coming to the stage, packing up Sengoku's gear and setting out Areosmith's.

"Great job kids." Totosai's crackly old voice said. "But you have to learn when to shut it off. These guys were threatening me bodily harm if you didn't get off stage and let the presenters start handing out awards."

"Sorry old man, but when you get the bug you gotta pass it on." Inuyasha said without a hint of remorse.

"Well, just don't get it at the biggest music awards show ever again and we'll be alright."

"Yeah," Sango said. "It just sucks that we aren't eligible for a Grammy." Sango said as she toweled the sweat from her brow.

"It is unfortunate that we got signed after the deadline for voting," Miroku stated as he too wiped sweat from his face and arms.

"So what. Next year we'll rack them up." Inuyasha said boisterously.

"That is, if we're still popular next year." Sango brought him back to Earth.

"I hate to leave you kids alone, but I see someone to schmooze with over there. Bye." The old man ran off as if the devil was on his heals to talk to another old man.

"Whatever." Inuyasha snorted. "Miroku, what was that in the chorus? Were you trying to screw it up?"

"Sorry man. It's hard to play drums _and _carry a tune."

"I know, just try harder alright? We'll work on your breathing next session." The crowd roared as the Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year was announced. "Damn it. I wish we were back on the bus. Keeping up this disguise is getting harder with all this noise. You'd think humans would know when to shut up."

He ignored the glares coming from his band mates as he walked to the dressing room to get changed so he could watch the rest of the show from their seats in the last row of important people. Being newbies sucked.

Sango and Miroku sighed as they watched him stalk away. "And you'd think youkai would know when _not _to mention their heritage." Miroku quipped at his back. Sango nodded in agreement.

It had been nearly two hundred years since the first youkai stumbled upon the spell to make himself look human. Since then, demons had made a unanimous agreement to allow humans to flourish enough that they could have a feast. Over the years they began to see what all the humans could offer and began a harmonious life with them. The original goal was all but forgotten. Human and demon mating was not uncommon but not mainstream. It was hard to find a human that didn't shriek when you revealed your true self.

Youkai had stayed out of the way enough that humans pretty much forgot they existed. There were some with enough spiritual power to see through, but they ended up in asylums and the like when they mentioned it. And of course there were those youkai that didn't follow the guidelines and picked off a few mortals. Lucky for the demons, they turned up missing persons since the bodies were never found. But each of these cases were few and far between.

When Sango and Miroku first met Inuyasha in middle school, they knew something was different about him. And it wasn't because he had white hair or gold eyes. Those could easily be passed off as a style he chose to stick with. People wore all kinds of contacts and too much peroxide did that to ya.

No, it was something else. They couldn't figure out what it was at first, but with Miroku's family descending from monks and Sango's father being very devoted to the old ways, each knew something was up. They befriended him in hopes of discovering it. It took them almost three years of fierce determination to get it out of him. When they finally did, it wasn't as surprising as they'd thought it would be. He was exceptionally fast, had excellent hearing _and _smell, and was just about the fastest learner either had ever seen.

Even with these shaky beginnings, they became the tightest group on campus. When Miroku picked up his first set of drumsticks in the school band, and then Inuyasha found an old guitar, it wasn't long before they started a band. The boys began practicing in Inuyasha's brother's basement. He wasn't the most gracious landlord and fights occurred when the music got too loud for his tastes, but they managed to scrape out a few songs before they realized that they blew and figured out what was missing. They asked Sango to be the bassist soon after. And the rest, as they say, is history.

The show was dull and uninspiring. People talking. People getting awards. People talking more. Bore-ring!

"Four and a half hours of this!" Inuyasha hissed to Miroku. "What's up with that?"

"I know. But you must endure the bad to truly enjoy the good."

They looked at each other. "After party!" They silently cheered, doing a little dance in their seats.

"Shh." Sango said. "I want to know who gets Female Artist of the Year."

The boys rolled their eyes and mouthed with the announcer. "And the winner is…..Brittney Spears." They shook their heads as Sango seethed.

"Come on! That ho has no talent! I'd like to see her pick up an acoustic and play that nasty ass song of hers. I could sing better than that." She continued on like this until the boys stopped her. The looks they were getting were not pretty.

Well, most of them. Some of the punk bands in their row were nodding and Eminem was scribbling down lyrics to his new song with the insults she was spewing.

The hours passed slowly and Miroku had to smack Inuyasha more than once as his snoring was disrupting the ceremony. Sango huffed time and again as bands besides hers got those cute little statues.

"I want a golden phonograph." She whined more than once. It seemed like an eternity before it was over.

The committee rented an entire club to throw the party in and soon the celebrities were dancing and elbow rubbing. The entire thing was a bust for Sengoku.

"Good luck next year."

"You guys rock! You really got the crowd fired up!"

"Sucks don't it? I remember my first awards show….."

Sango and Miroku endured the compliments and sympathy as well as they could. Inuyasha just wandered off. Got drunk. And then spotted the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

She took his breath away. Her silky black hair and long legs had his libido going into overdrive. Not to mention how well her slim waist curved into an excellent ass, tilting in time to the music being played. The gown she wore was a simple, empress-cut, navy blue chemise, which only brought out the blue highlights of her hair. As she turned he was struck dumb by her big brown eyes. They skimmed over the crowd, obviously looking for someone.

He stood still as she came his way. At the first sniff, he was hooked to her scent. Lilacs and vanilla. Then he felt something odd. A stirring of his youki. '_That's never happened before_.' She passed him without even turning his way as she found who she was looking for. He barely even noticed Kikyo, the elite model, as he watched the girl arguing with her.

Inuyasha fought his way back to Miroku. He leaned onto his friend. "Do you see her?"

Miroku shoved him away only to catch him as he tipped over. "Shit Inu! How much did you have?"

"Just a few." He replied, never taking his eyes from the ebony haired beauty talking without fear to the model. "Do you?"

"See who?" He asked gazing in the direction the hanyou was. "Kikyo? I know man! She's hot. I used to have her Rolling Stone's cover taped to my ceiling. Can't believe she's actually here."

Inuyasha ignored his friend's perverted comments and shook his head. "Not her. The one talking to her. Kikyo doesn't even compare to her."

Miroku looked at Inuyasha like he had three heads. "Are you insane? That's Kikyo Tama! World Famous Supermodel and future mother of my children!" Sango came up behind him and smacked his head. Miroku jumped and held his abused skull. "Ow Sango! What was that for?"

"Being a pervert." She glared. "Who are we looking at?"

Miroku hissed through his teeth as he rubbed the sting away. "Inuyasha's mystery girl. She's the one talking to Kikyo. Any idea who she is?"

Sango called upon all of her tabloid-learned knowledge of famous people. "Hmm. No clue. A reporter maybe?"

"Naw. She's dressed too nice for a reporter." Miroku stated as he looked her over head to foot. "Newbie maybe?"

"Could be. There are a few here." Sango thought it over. There were new bands from all across the US and even some from the UK and the rest of Europe. "But I doubt it. I didn't see her give out an award or perform."

"She's an assistant." Inuyasha spoke for the first time.

The other two looked at him crazy-like. "How do you figure?"

"She's dressed nice. She arguing with a supermodel. And she has the faintest scent of ink and electricity about her." He reasoned in his drunken beauty-stupefied stupor. His disguise began to waver and show his dog ears and claws.

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Oooookaaaay. Miroku?"

"Yes dear Sango?"

"How many has he had?"

"A few he says. I'm thinking more like ten to fifteen shots of straight Vodka and a couple glasses of champagne, but I'm just guessing."

"Uh-huh. To the bus!"

They each grabbed an arm and pulled him from the party.

"Hey! Let me go!" Inuyasha fought all the way there, but he had trouble even standing. Suffice it to say he wasn't much trouble.

The duo threw him into the bus. He stood up growling as the spell fully disappeared leaving him in all his hanyou goodness.

"What's the big idea!" He shouted.

"Look in a mirror half-wit!" Sango shouted back as she held up her compact.

"Oh." He mumbled. "Thanks I guess."

They rolled their eyes, knowing it was the best they'd get. "Whatever. Go to bed." Miroku told him, pointing down the bus to the sleeping compartments. "We have a show in Pittsburgh day after tomorrow."

"Yeah. Sleep it off. Tomorrow we hit the road. Can't have you complaining of a hangover all day." Sango said as she pushed him towards the back of the bus.

"I know, I know." Inuyasha reluctantly let her push him closer to his bunk. "I just gotta do something first." H e shrugged off her hands and caught himself from falling over. "Miroku I need a pen and paper."

"New song?" He asked as he rummaged for the items.

"Yeah. It just hit me in there." Inuyasha sat down as he was struck with a sudden wave of nausea.

"That's not the only thing that hit you in there." Sango said as she went to find some medicine. She recognized that look. They'd been friends too many years not to know when the dog demon was about to blow chunks.

"Was it your mystery girl?" Miroku asked. He handed Inuyasha the pen and paper.

"Yeah. Give me some space will ya? I can hardly breathe."

"Sorry. Just wanted to see how much she 'inspired' you." He said with a waggle of his brows.

"Pervert." Sango muttered. She handed Inuyasha the nausea medicine and some Aspirin. "Come on. Let's get you doped up as well as drunk."

Inuyasha took it absently as he began scribbling down the first few lines.

It was sketchy, sporadic, and had hit written all over it. Problem was, he couldn't get past the first verse.

Miroku read over his shoulder. _"Hey you, Misses I don't know what the fuck you're name is I'm drawn to you. Something's magnetic here. If I could approach you or even get close to the scent that you left behind I'd be fine. No doubt that you bring out the animal inside_?" He scrunched one brow. "Damn Inu. What are you on? And where can I get some?"

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "I know it sucks, alright! I can't get past this. Whatever. It was just a thought."

He crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash can as he walked to the back of the bus and hit the sack.

Miroku picked up the paper and unfolded it. "It's not that bad. It'll be better with music. Don't you think?" He looked to Sango for confirmation.

She looked back at him and walked to her bunk without saying a word.

"Hey!" He groused. "I asked you a question!"

Her reply was a single finger, held with pride, jutting from the curtain to her bed.

He scoffed at her finger and tucked the paper in a box he had of Inuyasha's scrapped ideas, Sango's discarded memorabilia and his own attempts at poetry and love songs for a certain dark haired bassist.

**First chapters always stink. They're just setting up the story. Still, tell me whacha think. R&R.**


	2. Panties

**Disclaimer: Have you seen the credits at the end of the show? Is my name up there? I didn't think so. Not that you know my real name, but trust me, it's not.**

**Chapter 2: Panties**

Totosai watched his little band from his place talking to the head of the upstart company, Shikon Records, who just happened to be the label Sengoku was signed under. Noticing the intensity that Inuyasha was staring at Kikyo, he got an idea. It would be a great publicity stunt. Having the model pose for the cover of their new album would be a great chance for her and Inuyasha to begin dating, as well as amp up the sales from the ensuing gossip.

It was brilliant.

Now how to do it? He saw a woman giving her a lecture about her drinking. She had to be either her agent or manager. That was the ticket. Surely she'd jump at the chance to have her meal ticket on the cover after he greased up the hype. Stalking her as she moved away from the model, he surprised her by tapping her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me Miss?" He quickly swiped her cell phone from her open clutch. "I noticed you dropped this." He handed over the contraband.

"Thank you sir." The woman put it back in her purse and started walking away. "I swear. I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached to my neck.

He caught up to her and shadowed her steps. "I saw you talking to Kikyo Tama. She a friend of yours?"

"No." The woman scowled. "I work for her."

Totosai raised his brows. "Really? I bet she's hard to work for."

She turned quickly to face him. "Look, if you're some kind of reporter, I'm not going to bad mouth that woman." She spit out.

"I gotcha. I gotcha." He soothed. "Don't piss where you sleep, right?"

"What do you really want jijii?" She glared at him.

"What makes you think I want something?" He feigned innocence. She only raised a brow at him. "Okay, alright. You've heard of Sengoku right?"

Her eyes lightened. "Of course I have. They opened tonight and it was AWESOME!"

"I take it you're a big fan?" He wheedled.

"Hell yeah." She coughed slightly. "Sorry. That's pretty unprofessional, huh?"

"Don't worry about it. How would you like to go to their next show?" He asked through a disarming smile that went unnoticed by the rabid fan.

"Would I ever! Too bad their concerts are always sold out months in advance." She looked at her feet.

"Small obstacle. I am their manager, you see. I could have tickets with a snap of my fingers."

"Really? You could do that for me?" She looked at him, hope shining in her big brown eyes.

"Of course."

She went back to scowling at him. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Just a small favor." He held his hands up, showing her he meant no harm.

"I will not sleep with you." Was flatly declared from the feisty five-foot-four woman before him.

"Excuse me?" He said in genuine confusion.

"I know what your kind are after and I will not degrade myself to that level just so I can see a rock concert." She said vehemently.

"No! You misunderstand me." He pleaded.

She tapped her foot, thinking it over. "I'm listening."

"You 'work' for Kikyo right?" He said using finger quotes.

"Yes I 'work' for Kikyo." She sarcastically said back, throwing his finger quotes back in his face.

"All I'm asking is for her to pose for their new album's cover." He cut to the chase. "Just that. One little picture. And I'll even get you a backstage pass."

"Is that all?"

"Yes. Just one good picture."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Great." He pulled a pen from his pocket. "Here's my number." He hastily scribbled his cell phone number on a napkin nearby. "Just call me and give me the head's up. Oh, and what is your name Miss?"

"Kagome Higurashi."

**A few minutes later**

The band was mostly asleep when Totosai got back on the bus. The only one left awake was Miroku. He was sitting in one of the booths looking through his 'Shoebox of Goodies', as he called it, and saw the old man come in with a smug smile on his face.

"What are you planning old man?" He asked.

"Just a little surprise at your next concert." Totosai said evasively.

"What kind of surprise?" Miroku asked with suspicion.

"The girl kind."

"Really?" Miroku sat fully up. "Strippers?"

"No silly boy." He ignored the creaks and groans of his bones as he settled himself down in the bench adjacent to Miroku with a grunt. "A certain dark haired wench I saw you staring at earlier. I'm planning on her posing for the next album cover."

"But we haven't even _written _the album yet." He protested.

"That is of no consequence." Totosai leaned back on the bench. "We could have it out in a month if need be."

"We haven't even started on songs!'

"That's what writers are for my boy."

"But we always write our own music!" Miroku was getting irritated. "That's what makes it good! It's from the heart and it means something to us."

"This is a cold business! There's no time for sentimentality."

Miroku sighed as he flopped back against the headrest. "This girl….."

"Yes…..?"

"Did she have dark hair and great legs?"

"World renowned dark hair and great legs."

"Did she talk to Kikyo?"

"No boy! I'm talking ABOUT Kikyo." Miroku's brow furrowed. "I talked to her agent. Or manager. I'm not sure which. But, anyway, she said she'd 'See what she could do.' Direct quote."

"Don't hold your breath jijii." Miroku said quietly. "Wait a minute. You talked to the one who was talking to Kikyo, right?"

"Yes."

"That's the one we were staring at. Not Kikyo. Well, Inuyasha was staring at the other one, I myself was looking at Kikyo, Brittney, Christina, Selma and Angelina simultaneously." A perverted grin graced his handsome face. "The awards were very good to me." He said in a cheesy middle-eastern accent.

"I see." Totosai rubbed his chin for a moment and then hit his hand with his fist. "So, Inuyasha is attracted to the other woman, eh?"

"Yes."

"So you'll have to go for Kikyo."

"WHAT!"

"Hush, boy, shh. Don't want to wake the others do we?"

"Sorry. It's just….." He faltered.

"Speak up!" The manager commanded.

"I kinda have a thing for Sango. Have since Elementary. I don't want Kikyo. I mean, she's nice to look at and all, but I just don't want her like I want Sango."

"Hmm." The old one thought. "So, we'll just have to make it look like Inuyasha's going for her. How to do that?"

"Look. Much as I would love to crack a scheme with you, I need sleep. You know how Inu is when he practices, and _I _know I'm gonna get it double for being flat tonight." He yawned and moved for his compartment. "Just don't ruin his life too bad, okay?"

Totosai grunted and waved him away. Miroku rolled his eyes and shut the curtain to his bunk.

"So. My lead singer wants the agent and not the supermodel? That's a change. I'll just have to keep throwing them all together." And his perverted old mind churned at his thoughts all night.

**Meanwhile, back at a hotel**

"I told you Kikyo." Kagome huffed as she pulled the model into her suite. "This is what happens when you drink, but do you listen? _No_. **_sigh_ **Why do I even put up with this?" She grumbled under her breath.

Kikyo flung her head back to look at the other girl. "Because I pay you so well."

"Whatever. Come on." She grunted as she shifted the model's weight. "Let's get you in bed."

She helped Kikyo out of her gown and into her pajamas, then helped her collapse on the king size bed.

"You're the bestest assistant ever." She declared as she smacked a kiss on Kagome's cheek.

The girl rolled her eyes. Even after all these years, Kikyo still thought she was a good assistant. It had to be because Kagome's grandfather owned the shrine Kikyo worked at before she got famous, otherwise she wouldn't even be here. Let alone cleaning up her puke, putting her to bed and doing everything else the model flung at her.

She was so sick of being in her shadow. Kikyo was the better shrine maiden. Kikyo got the modeling career Kagome was working towards her whole life. Kikyo got Kagome's boyfriends. Kikyo was a good person on the inside, she knew.

Way down, deep, deeeeeeeeep inside.

As she tucked Kikyo in and started back down the hall to her own room, she thought about what that weird old man had said.

_'Concert tickets to my favorite band AND backstage passes! I can finally meet Miroku! That drummer is soooooooooo hot! **squeal** Now how do I get Kikyo to do that shoot? I'd have to talk to Kaede first, of course. She'll have to approve this move in Kikyo's career. And Kikyo herself. She doesn't even like Sengoku. And Naraku will want to know what his precious girlfriend is doing.'_

Just thinking about having to face that man again after what he did to her made her want to vomit. _'But at least I can throw Kouga in his face. Show him that someone CAN TOO love me. Even if the feeling isn't mutual…..'_

That settled it! Tomorrow she'd call Kikyo's agent. _'Hopefully Kaede will make a decision soon. The concert is in two days.'_

**The Next Morning**

Inuyasha awoke in his usual manner.

"What the hell was that!" He shouted sleepily as he sat bolt upright and hit his head on the bottom of the bunk above him.

In their respective bunks, Sango and Miroku both groaned, "He's up." And they rolled over attempting to get more sleep.

Inuyasha proceeded to smash his alarm clock and trip out of his bunk on his way to 'Drop the kids off at the pool.' Once he finished in the bathroom, he flung open Sango's curtain and then Miroku's. "Wake up you slugs! It's already seven a.m.! We need to practice. Especially you Miroku. Don't think I forgot about how flat you were last night. If you go that flat again on National TV, I swear--"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll rip out my bowels and feed them to me for dinner. I know." He attempted to yawn the last bits of sleep from his head.

"So get up! Let's go! Chop chop!" He clapped his hands, effectively breaking the warm caress of the bed and the deep breathing of the recently awoken.

"Okay. Give me a second. Shit." Miroku stumbled to the floor and made for the bathroom.

Inuyasha turned to Sango. "You too Sango. Get up."

"Mmmgggggggggnnnnnnnnn." She rolled over.

"Don't you fall asleep on me!" He reached in and tore the blankets from her body.

Sango gasped and grabbed around her feet seeking the warmth, before she opened her eyes and glared at the hanyou. "How will I stay this beautiful if you keep interrupting my beauty sleep!"

Inuyasha snorted. "Beautiful. Riiiiiiiiight. Get up." He waited until he saw her on her feet before he moved to the back of the bus where they did all their practicing while on the road.

As soon as he was out of sight, Sango collapsed backwards, in a very practiced maneuver, narrowly missed hitting her head on the bunk above hers, and grabbed the blankets from the floor, pulling them up over her as she settled into bed again.

"Sango! UP!" Inu shouted from the back. Hearing a growl in return and shuffling of feet, he smiled. They were so predictable. Today he wasted no time setting up his guitar and turning on the recorder as he waited for them to make their way back to him. "Come on you two! Don't be so lazy!"

"Shut up will ya! I'm takin' a leak!" Miroku shouted.

"I've got it next!" Sango called. She just hoped they didn't stink up the toilet too much today. It sucked having to share the room with two 'boys', one old man and the rest of their road crew. But, you gotta do what you gotta do.

Inuyasha shook his head at them. At least the others weren't there to tell them to shut up today. He briefly wondered why they didn't rent out a hotel room too. _'Oh yeah. Because of all the groupies, Totosai says.'_ He snorted for the second of many times that day. _'Wonder how many groupies we really have…..'_ He shrugged and started picking out a tune while he waited.

"You know," Miroku said as he picked up his drumsticks and joined him in the back. "that would go great with that song you started last night."

"Whatever. Sango! Hurry you're ass up! We ain't got all day!"

"Yes we do Inuyasha." She stated as she joined them. "We don't leave for another four hours to be in Pittsburgh tomorrow night."

"Shut up." He grumbled. "Let's start."

Sango picked up her bass and they commenced a grueling practice.

**Other parts of the city**

Kagome rose at a leisurely eight a.m. and was ready for another day of hell by eight-thirty. She walked down the hall to Kikyo's suite to check on her employer.

"At least she didn't get sick in her sleep this time." She closed the door on the awful sounds coming from the bathroom. "She'll be okay for a few minutes." Grabbing the phone from the hook, she dialed out to Kikyo's agent.

"Kaede Tama's office." The cheery voice of the receptionist said, masking the fact that she was still half asleep and had just recently clocked in.

"Yes. This is Kagome Higurashi. I'd like to talk to Kaede please."

"And the reason?"

"A proposition concerning Kikyo Tama."

"Hold please." Kagome tapped her nails on the nightstand as she waited for her call to be transferred.

"Yes Kagome? Is something wrong with my sister?" Kaede's concerned voice asked.

"Oh no. She's fine. I'm calling about a deal I got from some manager last night."

"Go on."

"He wants Kikyo to pose for the cover of his band's new album."

"And the name of his band would be…..?"

"Have you ever heard of _Sengoku_?"

"I've heard _of_ them but I've never actually _heard _them." She twirled her pen between her fingers. "From what I hear they're the next big thing."

"Yeah. They ROCK!" She cleared her throat. "Anyway, he said it would be a great move for both of them. Get Kikyo's face out there more, sell more records for them, and things like that." She was suddenly grateful for the phone. She was such a horrible liar.

"I see." Kaede thought about it. "I suppose it would be profitable for both of us." Kagome silently cheered, again grateful for the phone. "Though I'm unsure why he came to you."

"He saw me fighting with Kikyo and probably thought I was you." Both women cracked up.

"Obviously he's never met me."

"Obviously." They shared another laugh before Kaede spoke again.

"So why were you fighting with my sister this time?"

"Could you stop calling her your sister? It's kinda creepy."

"My apologies. It's just that I always wanted a sister and now that I found out my late father's 'donation' impregnated a woman forty years later, I can't stop the joy from saying it."

"No, I'm sorry. She is your sister, by blood if nothing else. It's not for me to say what you can call her."

"It's okay. Again, why were you fighting with my si-…..Kikyo?"

"Her drinking. The Grammy's were last night and you know how she gets."

"Aye. Too well." Kaede flinched. "She didn't try to kiss any girls this time did she?"

"No. I dragged her out before that happened. Tell your Aunt Suki I'm sorry again."

"It was last Christmas Kagome. I'm sure she's forgotten by now."

"I know, but I still feel horrible. That woman can NOT hold her liquor. You should hear her in the bathroom now. I swear, one of these days I'm going to have to replace a toilet from all the corrosion."

Kaede chuckled. "Did you happen to get that manager's name or number?"

"Yes. It's back in my room. I'll call you back in a sec."

"No that's quite alright." Kaede looked at her daily calendar for the next few months. "You call him and set it up for me. I have a million things to do today and he's more familiar with you anyway."

"You trust me to do that?" Kagome asked in wonder.

"Kagome, child, you've been dealing with these people for almost as long as I have. I trust you to set up the arrangements with this man." She twirled the pen again as she thought. 'Besides Kikyo fired her last three managers…..'

"Thank you Kaede. I won't let you down."

"I'm sure you won't child. Have a nice day."

"You too baa-chan."

"Goodbye Kagome."

"Bye Kaede."

She hung up the phone and sat in amazement for a moment. "Damn." She breathed. "Closest I'm gonna get to my dream. Where did I put his number?" She ran to her room and flung clothes around randomly in her search for the missing napkin. "Why didn't he just give me his card! Stupid old man." She continued to grumble until she found it crumbled in a corner of the handbag she'd brought that night.

"Ah ha!" She picked up her phone and dialed the old man's cell. It rang for a bit before his voice came on, just as crackly as she remembered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Totosai?"

"Yes. Who is this?"

"This is Kagome Higurashi."

"Do I know you?"

"Yes." She said slowly. "I talked to you last night. About Kikyo?"

He scratched his head. "Oh yeah. The cover girl."

Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. I've talked to Kikyo's agent and she gave me the go ahead to set up the shoot."

'_So she _is _the manager._' Totosai thought before talking again. "I guess you want those tickets now right?"

"Yes." Kagome said hesitantly. That was the reason why she did it, but him just coming out and saying it made her feel so greedy.

"Come to the next show. It's in Pittsburgh. I'm sure you can find it. Just come to the back door and I'll personally have you put on the list." He wrote down her name quickly.

"Thank you Totosai. When will we discuss the matter of the shoot?"

"Shoot?" He looked off into space. "Oh yes. The shoot. After the concert. You'll be backstage and we'll set it up."

"Backstage?"

"Yes. That was the deal wasn't it?" He poised the eraser over the list. "If you want to watch the show from the floor I can always—"

"NO! No that's okay. I can watch it from backstage. It won't kill me or anything." She silently mouthed _'Backstage! Ahhhhhhhh!' _in excitement. "So the show is when?"

"Tomorrow. The show starts at seven and Sengoku comes on at nine. If you want, I can get you in the dressing room beforehand."

"That's okay. I can watch Ookami. I like them too." She said. _'Especially since my boyfriend is the lead singer. Too bad he doesn't have enough clout to get me in.'_

"Not more than Sengoku I hope."

"Of course not." Kagome shook her head with vigor as a nervous sweat drop formed on her forehead.

Totosai chuckled. "Glad we made a good choice for a warm up band. So we'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes. Thank you so much."

"No problem. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." Kagome hung up the phone only to scream her joy to the hotel.

**At the bus**

Totosai stepped onto the bus as he hung up with Kagome. He smiled widely at his kids. "Good news kiddies! We'll have a very special guest backstage tomorrow."

Inuyasha 'Keh'd' and continued practicing, Sango looked up with interest and Miroku sighed and shook his head.

"Who is it?" Sango asked.

"Probably some old reporter trying to get his hands on some kind of blackmail." Inuyasha said absently as he picked out a tune.

"Inuyasha!" Totosai exclaimed. "It could just as well be another manager that I've invited to get close to her client."

Inuyasha raised one brow as he furrowed the other. "And who would that be?"

"You'll just have to wait and see." He held his head high as he walked to the front and sat down. With a nod to the driver, their journey to Pennsylvania had begun.

**The next day**

The bus pulled up in front of the stadium and was immediately surrounded by hundreds of drooling, rabid fans. They clogged the exits and climbed on their friends' backs just so they could smash their faces against the tinted glass.

"Oi, jijii! Do something about them will ya?" Inuyasha groused from his seat.

After being cooped up in the bus with those smelly roadies, he was about to have conniptions if he didn't get out soon. Not that he wasn't used to this treatment by now, but it was still disconcerting. He loved the attention and power of being in front of a screaming crowd. And the money was excellent. But all those women fawning over him was Miroku's dream, not his.

Now don't get it wrong. He liked women, but when they threw themselves at him just for fame it was enough to make him sick. Of course Sango kept most of them away. She wasn't into that whole, 'Let's get a bunch of hookers and keep them in our dressing room!', kind of stardom. In fact, she fought most of them off herself. Especially if they were crowding around Miroku too much.

She had her admirers too, but Miroku usually scared them off. Come to think of it, in high school neither of them ever had a boyfriend or girlfriend either. He'd had a couple girlfriends, never anything serious though. Just a couple make-out sessions and then he sent them packing. They never held his interest for long. But for some reason, Miroku never got a girl and Sango never landed a guy. Not that they didn't try. Miroku groped every girl that walked his way and Sango had a mysterious allure that attracted guys like moths to the flame, but none of them stayed around too long.

But now he was rambling.

He walked away from the windows and hid in his bunk as the bodyguards opened the door to clear a way to the backdoor. After hearing that all was safe, he crawled out and walked regally down the steps and out of the bus. Sango and Miroku crawled out of their beds similarly and followed each other out, both smiling and waving to the crowd. The guards held back the screaming fans with a little help from security.

Inuyasha looked to both sides of him and waved, signed autographs and took pictures with the lucky few on his ten foot walk to the door. As he was signing a CD cover, something caught his nose. He looked up and saw the girl from two days ago. She was smiling and waving and shouting Miroku's name. He frowned. She preferred Miroku over his own gorgeous self! That's ludicrous! He walked up to her and pulled her from the crowd.

"Hey." He smiled his patented heart-melting-make-you-wet smile.

"Hello." She grinned. Hey, it wasn't Miroku, but he wasn't that bad looking either.

"So, you want a picture or something?" Inuyasha asked as he slung an arm over her shoulders.

She looked at his arm and then at him, and then at his arm. "Uh, sure." She said as she pushed his arm off. "Can you get Miroku in it?" She asked as she pulled a camera from her big yellow purse.

Inuyasha growled. "Sure. Houshi! Get over here!"

Miroku rolled his eyes and trotted over. "What Inuyasha?" He stopped suddenly as he saw the girl they'd all been staring at the night before. _'So Totosai did get her to come here. Amazing. He did something right. Isn't that a sign of the apocalypse?'_

"She wants a picture of us." Inuyasha humphed as he put his arm back around her shoulders, thoroughly ignoring the glares of the other young women there.

"Actually, one of just him would be fine. Thank you Inuyasha." She kept a tight reign on her rage as she shrugged off his arm again.

Inuyasha glared at Miroku. He gave the monk a look that said, 'Do something. Help me out here. And don't you even THINK about groping her!'

Miroku cleared his throat. "Well, I wouldn't feel right taking a picture without my best friend, since he is right here."

Sango stalked her way over as she heard Kagome's request. "And I would love to have a picture taken with them."

Miroku chuckled. "There you go, three for one."

Kagome's smile was less than enthusiastic. "Great. The whole band."

Inuyasha took the camera from her hands and handed it to one of the crew toting their instruments inside. "Take this will you?" He threw his arm back around a displeased Kagome's shoulders. Miroku stood between Kagome and Sango as Sango threw her arms around his neck. Kagome glared. This picture was NOT turning out how she'd planned it.

The roadie gladly set down the heavy amp and took the disposable camera. "Say cheese!" He pressed the button right as something dawned on him. "Higurashi?"

"Hojo-kun!" Kagome's strained smile was lost on the boy. _'Why couldn't he have stayed back in Tokyo?' _She shrugged yet again out of Inuyasha's hold and took back her camera.

"I didn't know you'd be here. I thought you went back home when your career didn't take off."

"Yeah, well. You win some, you lose some." Kagome said bitterly.

"Listen boy. You've got a lot of stuff to move, so move!" Inuyasha barked.

"Hai Inuyasha-sama." Hojo jumped up and started racing for the door, amp in hand.

Totosai stuck his head back out the door. "Inuyasha, get your ass in here. Oh, hello Kagome. Bring her with you boy."

The hanyou got a glint in his eye as he replied. "With pleasure old man." With that he picked up Kagome and practically ran inside. Miroku and Sango were in soon after.

"Put me down!" Kagome banged on his chest and kicked her legs as much as she could with them in his arms.

"Inuyasha put her down." Totosai said from the far wall. "She's not some kill you can just sling over your shoulder and parade around."

"She's not over my shoulder!" He protested as he set her on her feet.

Kagome glared at him. He glared back. Then he glared at Miroku, just for good measure.

"Where is Kikyo?" The old youkai asked Kagome.

"Was I supposed to bring her?" She asked. _'Figures. Everyone only wants Kikyo and uses me to get her. I should be used to it by now.'_

"No. I just figured you'd bring her so we could talk about the cover."

"Right. About that. She's not really into it. Her boyfriend says he doesn't want her hanging around a bunch of musicians." She edited what Naraku really said about Sengoku, as it was a lot more derogatory.

"Hm." He scratched his chin. "Well, then, you'll have to leave." He started to shove her out the door.

"Hey! She can stay." Inuyasha protested.

"Yeah. Leave my girlfriend alone!" Kouga shouted from the doorway.

"Girlfriend!" Inu yelped.

"Kouga-kun." Kagome cried as she unenthusiastically flung her arms around her man.

He kissed her cheek and ignored the growl coming from the hanyou. "And how is my woman doing today?"

"Good. Just peachy." She smiled.

"Nice to hear." He grasped her hands and looked her straight in the eyes. "How come you haven't been calling me?"

"Uh. Could we talk about this later?" She eyed the eavesdropping people around her.

"I guess." He dropped her hands and turned towards the sound of footsteps coming down the hall.

At that exact moment the stage manager leaned into the room. "There you are Kouga! I've been looking all over for you! You're on in one minute."

"Now!" He turned back to Kagome. "Gotta go babe. See ya later?"

"Yeah. Sure." As always he missed her sarcasm.

"I love you Kagome. I'll be back soon." He sped out the door, conveniently liberating her from returning the endearment.

"Well that was interesting." Miroku voiced aloud.

"Yeah. Who woulda thought Kouga has a woman?" Sango tried to hide her disgust.

"Hey! He's not that bad." Kagome half-heartedly defended him.

"That's what you think. You couldn't smell him." Inuyasha muttered.

"Neither did I." Sango said silently.

"Me either." Miroku agreed just as quietly.

Inuyasha flinched. Keeping his secret was so hard sometimes. "Whatever. If you're just gonna stand there, you can stand outside can't ya?" He yelled at Kagome.

"Well fine then! I didn't want to hang around you anyway." She left with a flip of her hair, not noticing the three people walking in behind her. Needless to say, they gave her a wide berth.

"Nice one Inu."

"Shut up Miroku."

"I'm just saying that you didn't exactly make the best of impressions with the girl you have a crush on."

"Who said I have a crush on her?"

"Please!" Sango laughed. "Was I the only one that heard him growling the whole time Kouga was with Kagome?" Miroku and Totosai both indicated that they heard. "See? Jealous much?"

"Stuff it Sango!"

"At least now you know her name." Totosai pointed out. "Now I have to soothe ruffled feathers. If you'll excuse me you ungrateful dog." He ran out after her. "Kagome! Wait! He didn't mean it! Slow down!"

"He is right. You know more about her today than you did yesterday."

"Miroku, I don't need to hear your reasoning right now, okay? Just leave me alone. And get ready. We go on in an hour."

He turned to his vanity and let Yura do his hair. He plopped his head in his hands. 'Why me? Why do I have to be me? This has got to be the worst day of my life. And what's worse, I have to go out there like I don't feel like crap and be all happy and shit. My life bites.' He grabbed a scrap of paper and a stick of eyeliner. Drawing doodles soon gave way to writing words and before he knew it, he had an entire verse written.

"Hey, don't use all my eyeliner." Yura protested. She got no response from the moping hanyou.

After consulting with Hiten on the wardrobe for the evening, Miroku came over to cheer him up so they didn't suck up the stage cause he was in 'a mood.' When he got there and saw what his friend had written, he couldn't stop the dumbfounded expression from forming on his face.

"Inu! This is the second verse to that song you started."

"I threw that away. Besides, it doesn't matter anyway so just leave it be." He stood up and changed into his performance clothes.

"Listen. I kinda took it out of the trash and kept it."

"You dug through the trash! That's sick man! Do you know what kind of bacteria and shit lives in there?"

"It was on top! And I've got lots of stuff like that." His eyes widened noticing his slip up. "Oops."

"Really?" Inu slid his eyes to look at his friend. "Like what?"

"MYOB!" Miroku blushed.

Inuyasha just raised an eyebrow at his friend's behavior.

"Come on guys! Time to go!" Sango called. "Oh, and Manten, do you think you could make those little sweet dumplings of yours? I've got a major craving."

"Sure thing Miss Sango. Anything for a beautiful lady like yourself."

She smiled as the band walked towards the stage to prepare.

Soon their entourage also left the room, leaving the paper on the vanity for all to see. Well, all that could get past security to the room.

_"Hey you! Misses too good to look my way and that's cool, you want nothing at all to do with me. But I want you. Ain't nothin' wrong with wantin' you. 'Cause I'm a man and I can think what the hell I want. You got that straight? No doubt that, I'd love to, sniff on them panties now."_

The old guard raised his eyebrow as he read. "Kids today. Getting more and more risqué, I say. They should all be shot. Teach them a lesson about….." He continued on as he walked back out the door after making sure no one was hiding in the room.

**Hey! Thanks for reading and reviewing. I ask that you keep it up as I am a review whore. Also, MYOB means 'Mind Your Own Business' for those that don't know, jijii is old man (very rude). Don't think I used anything out of the ordinary for fanfics.**

**Also, some of you expressed your dislike of 'Wherever I May Roam' in chapter one. It's actually one of my favorite Metallica songs, after I saw it as a fan-made video for Gundam Wing. Every time they yelled out "Rover, wanderer, nomad, vagabond" they had these tight shots of Trowa, or No Name. Get it. And since he was one of my fav's on that series I thought it fit pretty well. Besides, I would listen to it for the guitar solo alone. Those guys are frickin' geniuses! Every song I'll use in this fic is one of my favorites. And I have a lot of favorites. If there's a song that you don't know, I suggest you find it somewhere. I-tunes, Kazaa, whatever, just listen to 'em. I'll try to use ones that have been on the radio, but I can't guarantee that everyone will know them. And some of them won't be. I have some great CD's and we all know everything on the CD doesn't always make it to the radio, but I promise I'll try.**

**Until next time, R&R!**


	3. The Long Awaited Concert

**Disclaimer: PSH! I wish….. And since this chapter had to have so stinkin' much music, I have to put up a disclaimer for those. Don't own Sam the Sam and the Pharaohs, Dashboard Confessional or Papa Roach. Though I would LOVE to borrow DC. That Chris Carraba is sooooo fine.**

**Chapter 3: The Long Awaited Concert**

Kagome ran down the hall after her confrontation with Inuyasha. "That pompous ass! Who does he think he is that he can talk to me that way! Just because more people know him and he makes more money in a week than I do in a month…..grumble grumble….."

Irrational? Yes. Did she care? No.

"Kagome! Kagome!" She heard Totosai calling but tried to ignore the scratchy old voice. "Kagome! He didn't mean it!"

"Please! Spare me." She turned on him. "He's a bastard and you know it!"

He stopped for a moment. "True." He ran after her again as she kept going. "But Kagome, if you keep going you'll run right into the technical crew!"

She stopped and slowly turned. "Where would you have me go then? Do you want me to wait in the parking lot? 'Cause I did rent a car ya know. I can drive myself back to the hotel without a problem."

"No we have space designated for this. Follow me." He led her to the stage and stood behind the stage right curtain. "You can watch from here with me or go to the break room and watch it on the monitors if you'd like."

Kagome watched as her boyfriend played onstage. "I'll stay here." She said resignedly.

Kouga belted out the last verse to Ookami's rendition of "Little Red Riding Hood" originally done by Sam the Sam and the Pharaohs before she was even born. He leaned over the crowd playing the last few strings.

"_Hey there Little Red Riding Hood._

_You sure are looking good._

_You're everything that a big bad wolf could want._

_Ow-Woooooooo!"_

He reared back as he howled.

"_I mean baaaaaa! Baaa? Baaaaaaaaaaaaa."_

Kouga looked around at his band mates, looking as innocent as a lamb as he 'Baaa'ed.

She rolled her eyes. He was such a dork sometimes. Still, she couldn't deny that the song fit him perfectly. Call her crazy, but every time she saw him, it looked like he had a tail. 'Course she saw lots of things. Like dog ears on that bastard Inuyasha. And fangs and pointed ears on the old man beside her. And even in the crowd there were weirder things, like tusks, horns, fangs, claws, and tails on beings of every shape, size and color.

The first time she mentioned seeing these things, her family laughed it off. But as she mentioned it more and more often, it wasn't so funny. She got grounded for a week once for making up stories. But even as she grew out of the childish faze of imaginary friends and monsters under the bed, she still saw them. Her family told her to never mention it to anyone. They didn't want the neighbors to put her in a 'home'.

She was broken from her thoughts as Kouga introduced his new song. He looked at her and smiled. How did he know she was there? The curtain hid her from his view.

"This is a very special song to me. I wrote it a while ago after a very special evening and you're the first to hear it. So I hope you like it. It's called 'Hands Down'." He played a light melody on his lead guitar. His drummer, Ginta, started lightly, but quickly, tapping one of the cymbals with his drumsticks. Then Hakkaku quickly started strumming his bass.

"_Breathe in for luck._

_Breathe in so deep._

_This air is blessed,_

_You share with me._

_This night is wild._

_So calm and dull._

_These hearts they race,_

_From self-control._

_Your legs are smooth,_

_As they graze mine._

_We're doing fine._

_We're doing nothing at all."_

Kagome blushed. That sounded oddly familiar. Behind her, Sengoku was getting ready to descend the stairs beneath the stage, so they could pop out of the floor when their turn came. With his advanced hearing, Inuyasha heard every word of what Kouga said before he started singing.

"_My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me._

_So won't you kill me?_

_So I die happy._

_My heart is yours to fill or burst._

_To break or bury._

_Or wear as jewelry._

_Whichever you prefer."_

He growled. "I'll kill ya wolf! But it won't be with a kiss. And you certainly won't be happy."

Miroku turned to him. "What was that Inuyasha?"

"Nothing bouzu! Mind your own self!" He stormed passed his crew and raced down the stairs.

Miroku turned a questioning look to Sango. She just shrugged and walked in front of him. Only to be reminded why she always walked behind the lecher.

"Pervert!" She screamed as she slapped him in the back of the head. It would do no good to have their drummer come onstage with a fiery handprint pulsing on his face. Or be dragged on unconscious. How she wished they were back on the bus so she could get him good.

He just smiled and coined his second favorite phrase. "It was worth the pain."

Sango growled and raced down the way Inuyasha had gone. Slowly music filtered into the silence and she somewhat understood why Inuyasha had run off in a fit.

"_The words are hushed,_

_Lets not get busted._

_Just lay entwined here._

_Undiscovered._

_Safe in here from all the stupid questions._

_"Hey did you get some?"_

_Man, that is so dumb._

_Stay quiet._

_Stay near._

_Stay close._

_They can't hear..._

_So we can get some."_

Kouga winked and Kagome blushed harder. Okay. Now it REALLY sounded familiar. Inuyasha's growl was drowned out by a sudden squeal of fan girls. _'Wolf must've done something. I hate him.'_

"_My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me._

_So won't you kill me?_

_So I die happy._

_My heart is yours to fill or burst._

_To break or bury._

_Or wear as jewelry._

_Whichever you prefer._

_Hands down,_

_This is the best day,_

_I can,_

_Ever remember._

_Always remember,_

_The sound of the stereo,_

_Dim of the soft lights,_

_The scent of your hair,_

_That you twirled in your fingers._

_And the time on the clock,_

_When we realized it's so late._

_And this walk that we shared,_

_Together._

_The streets were wet,_

_And the gate was locked._

_So I jumped it,_

_And I let you in._

_And you stood,_

_At your door,_

_With your hands,_

_On my waist,_

_And you kissed me like you meant it!_

_And I knew,_

_That you meant it._

_That YOU MEANT it!_

_That you MEANT it._

_And I knew,_

_That you meant it._

_That you meant iiiiiiiiit."_

The crowd roared. Obviously this would be another hit. And Kagome's face was now a flaming inferno of color.

She remembered that jump. It had taken her completely by surprise. The gates at Kikyo's mansion were at least twenty feet high and he jumped it like it was two. And she _had _meant that kiss. That night was the best date she'd ever had. He was such a gentleman. He paid for everything, pulled out her chair, held open doors, even protected her from the leers of drunken men. She was honest to God falling for him.

But that was all before she got to know him. He got so possessive. Always called her 'His woman' and never let her talk to any guys when he was around. She was being suffocated. He was just too much for her to handle.

His set continued and finally it was Sengoku's turn. Though after meeting them in person, she had to admit this concert had lost most of it's flare for her. And now she'd been suckered into working closely with them until they got all this album cover business out of the way. It was all gonna suck so horribly bad. She knew it already.

Sengoku slowly rose from the ground as Inuyasha sang with no accompaniment.

"_Cut my life into pieces._

_This is my last resort."_

They burst fully onstage in a rain of pyrotechnics and screaming fans as Miroku and Inuyasha beat the first note in the song.

"_Suffocation._

_No breathing._

_Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding."_

Inuyasha wailed on guitar as the crowd screamed again in the pause between verses.

"_This is my last resort._

_Cut my life into pieces._

_I've reached my last resort._

_Suffocation._

_No breathing._

_Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding._

_Do you even care if I die bleeding? _

_Would it be wrong? _

_Would it be right?_

_If I took my life tonight._

_Chances are that I might._

_Mutilation out of sight._

_And I'm contemplating suicide."_

He stopped the rap tempo as the crowd sang with him. But he didn't notice, being totally absorbed into the memory of the pain this song was written about.

"'_Cause I'm losing my sight,_

_Losing my mind._

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine._

_Losing my sight._

_Losing my mind. _

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine._

He strummed quickly again as the angst washed over him.

_I never realized I was spread too thin,_

'_Til it was too late,_

_And I was empty within._

_Hungry._

_Feeding on chaos,_

_And livin' in sin._

_Downward spiral._

_Where do I begin? _

_It all started when I lost my mother,_

_No love for myself,_

_And no love for another. _

_Searching,_

_To find a love upon a higher level._

_Finding,_

_Nothing but questions and devils._

'_Cause I'm losing my sight,_

_Losing my mind._

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine._

_Losing my sight._

_Losing my mind. _

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine._

_Nothing's alright._

_Nothing is fine._

_I'm running and I'm crying._

_I'm crying,_

_I'm crying,_

_I'm crying,_

_I'm crying."_

The crowd quieted and the girls grinned as he began singing in this husky sexy voice that had everyone hooked. It was a trademark with them. Break the beat and grab the attention again. And it always worked.

"_I,_

_Can't,_

_Go,_

_On,_

_Live,_

_Ing,_

_This,_

_Way."_

Sango and Miroku accompanied him when he reverted to his normal voice.

"_Cut my life into pieces._

_This is my last resort._

_Suffocation._

_No breathing._

_Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding! _

Inuyasha joined back in with the lead guitar.

_Would it be wrong? _

_Would it be right? _

_If I took my life tonight._

_Chances are that I might._

_Mutilation outta sight._

_And I'm contemplating suicide._

The boys raised their rock fists and the girls bounced. All too soon a mosh pit was starting. Kagome was amazed. It looked so cool from here. Down there, it was scarier than Kaede in a bikini. But looking down on it, she could imagine why performers loved it so much.

'_Cause I'm losing my sight._

_Losing my mind._

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine._

_Losing my sight._

_Losing my mind. _

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine._

_Nothing's alright._

_Nothing is fine._

_I'm running and I'm crying."_

The mosh pit grew in intensity as Inuyasha screamed the next verse.

"_I!_

_Can't!_

_Go!_

_On!_

_Live!_

_Ing!_

_This!_

_Way!_

_Can't go on._

_Living this way._

_Nothing's all-_

_Right!"_

Even if Kagome didn't like Inuyasha, she still liked their music. She screamed just as loud as the rest of them when the song came to completion. Inu tilted his head in her direction and smirked. That song always got him pumped and angsty, just the way he had to be to fully perform most of their songs. His blood raced, and hearing Kagome's cheer made his heart beat a bit faster knowing she was watching.

The rest of the concert went off without a hitch and all too soon the fans were piling out of the stadium, sweating and breathing hard, but with smiles so large you could fit a station-wagon in there.

Totosai looked at Kagome as they walked back to the break room. He was glad she had the same smile as everyone else. It seemed her spirits had improved by the end of the show.

**Elsewhere**

The band walked back to their dressing room amidst a multitude of cheers. Inuyasha smiled as he settled into a chair, throwing his sweat rag over his shoulder, Miroku collapsed into his own chair, and Sango leaned against the make-up counter.

"What are you smiling about?" Miroku asked Inuyasha.

"Nothing." His smile grew as his eyes began to squint in glee.

Sango raised a brow. "That smile isn't for nothing. I know that look. You're thinking about Kagome aren't you?"

"Feh! So what if I am?" His smile lost it's luminescence. "What are you going to do? Shoot me?"

Miroku stood and moved next to Sango. "Now what kind of friends would we be if we did that?"

"Yes. What kind?" They looked to each other, the evil grin reflected on both faces.

"And I know that look." Inuyasha groaned. "Come on. Get it over with."

"Now when you do that it takes all the fun out of teasing you about her." Miroku groused.

"Will that stop you?" Inuyasha asked with hope tinting his voice.

"No." They said in unison. Glancing at each other they said, "You've been hanging around me too long." Now they stared at each other. "Stop it!" Sango glared at Miroku. Miroku tried to look innocent. And Inuyasha was holding his sides in an effort to make them stop hurting because he was laughing THAT hard.

"You've got it so bad." He gritted out between chuckles.

Sango peeked from the corner of her eye at a pink tint in Miroku's cheeks as she felt her own flame. She cleared her throat and willed the blush to disappear. "How did this turn from you and Kagome to me and the letch?"

Inuyasha could smell her embarrassment in the attempt to deny it and Miroku's disappointment as he seemed to believe her.

A short bark of laughter escaped him. "Hopeless." He muttered. "It turned when you two started acting like an old married couple." He said louder.

Both parties glared at him as only he heard them grumble, "I am never telling YOU anything EVER again."

Totosai walked into the room filled with Inuyasha's hysterical giggles. "What's so funny?"

"You had to be there." The hanyou chuckled. He sobered as he realized Kagome wasn't following him in.

"Where's Kagome?" He loved the sound of her name on his tongue and would most likely say it many more times that night. It sent a warm feeling all the way through him just thinking of her. It had never happened with anyone else and he liked the sensation.

"She left."

"Why?" His heart dropped to splash around in his stomach.

"We finished discussing what we needed to and the concert is over. She had no reason to stay."

"Oh." He said quietly.

"You will be pleased to know that, even though Kikyo's boyfriend forbid her from doing this, Kagome is going to work on Kikyo and you will have a supermodel selling her face on your next record."

"That's great!" Sango and Miroku both exclaimed before immediately glaring at each other for doing it again.

"Yeah. Terrific." Inuyasha muttered as he walked over to his changing curtain.

Totosai watched him walk away. "What'd I say?" He asked Sango and Miroku.

They shrugged. "Maybe talking about Kikyo working for us isn't the best thing to do with Kagome gone."

Sango growled. "Quit!"

Miroku let out a growl of his own. "No. You quit it!"

"Stop copying me!" They yelled together.

Totosai shook his head as he watched a wrestling match commence on the floor. "Children." He grumbled. Now he has a heart-sick hanyou to make happy again, a couple of morons fighting even though they love each other, and he still had yet to figure out a way to make this publicity stunt look real enough for good press.

What's an old man to do?

**R&R. Thankies.**


	4. The Secret's Out

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, why would I be writing this crap and have it not become episodes and movies and stuff? Yeah. Think about THAT!**

**Chapter 4: The Secret's Out**

Kagome drove back to the hotel where she was staying. For once, thank God, sans Kikyo. She could do whatever she wanted for one more night. Then it was back to LA and her drudgery.

She walked to her room, opened the door and entered. But something felt wrong. There was someone else there. She couldn't see them, but she could sense it. She could always sense it. Like a nagging presence at the back of her mind that quickly spread through her body. She knew this presence. And looking around the corner to the bed, she saw she was right.

"Hello my Kagome. How was your evening?"

"Fine Kouga-kun." She smiled stiffly at him. "And yours?" She feigned interest. _'How did he get in here? How did he even know this was my room? This is my vacation damnit! Someone's going to get fired over this…..'_

He could smell annoyance creeping into her scent. It had been doing that a lot recently. But, as always, he ignored it, convincing himself it was just tension from working for that annoying wench Kikyo.

"It was okay, I guess." He smirked. "But only because you were there." He moved from the bed, silkily walking across the floor. "I've missed you Kagome. We really should spend more time together. Like tonight?" He asked without asking.

She almost screamed. He was so domineering! "Kouga. I'm a little tired right now. How about I talk to you tomorrow?"

"Or I could just stay the night with you." He reached out to touch her arm.

She quickly turned for the bathroom and shut the door once inside. "You know my rules about that."

He sighed as he leaned against the door. "I know, I know. No PDA. Always stop for work. And never, NEVER stay the night." He whimpered. "But maybe just this once? I haven't seen you in so long. I've missed you. Missed your scent, your touch, your kiss. You're all I can think about Kagome. Didn't my song say how much I love you?"

She almost melted as she took out her earrings and starting removing her eye makeup. Isn't that what every girl wanted to hear? When he said stuff like that, it nearly made her forget how overbearing he was. How could he do this? Be so sweet that she nearly felt her heart beat out of her chest and then turn around and practically forbid her from doing what she wanted. She quickly washed her face to get her mind off it.

"Yes. It did Kouga. And after I got over how you set our first date to music, it was really sweet." She dried her face and opened the door. Kouga sprang back from it to avoid falling on her. "But that doesn't change the fact that I'm so tired I can hardly make it to my bed."

He smiled wolfishly, stepped closer and wrapped her in his arms. "Then let me help you." The wolf moved to the bed faster than she could at a run and set her down.

She perched nervously on the edge and folded her hands in her lap. He sat down close to her. A touch to her chin had her head turning in his direction. He stared into her beautiful eyes.

"You're always so much prettier without that gunk on." His mouth got closer.

She turned away, causing his hand to fall from her chin. "Kouga, I really am very tired. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright Kagome." He leaned in again. She ducked and twisted, falling off the bed in the process. He leaped down and crouched over her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She breathed out. "But you are crushing my lungs."

"Sorry." He scooted onto her legs and supported himself over her torso. "I kinda like this position better anyway."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Was that an observation or a pick-up line?"

He chuckled. "I love you Kagome. You make me laugh."

"Glad I do something." She grumbled. "Now do you think you could leave? I need to go to bed."

He got up. "Alright. I'm going." He helped her to her feet and walked to the door. "I'll call you tomorrow. Maybe we can do something then?"

"Maybe." She didn't exactly lie. Just didn't tell the whole truth, seeing as she planned to leave the next afternoon. "We'll see."

"Goodnight. My Kagome." He leaned in one last time. She allowed him to get her cheek.

"Goodnight Kouga." She closed the door when he tried to get another. "Ugh. Men. So needy."

She walked to the closet where the foldable stand with her luggage was hidden and pulled out her pajamas. The dancing cats singing French always made her feel better. Oh how she loved flannel pajamas. Crawling under the covers never felt so good.

She pulled the smelly hotel sheets up to her chin and tried to ignore the scratch of cheap fabric against her face. Kikyo could have gotten a better room. Kikyo could have afforded a nicer hotel. But Kagome only got scraps compared to her and a room at the Sheraton was all she could afford.

Closing her eyes, it wasn't her boyfriend with his, oft times annoying but sometimes adorable, protectiveness she saw. Or the hot drummer she finally got to meet. For some odd and unwelcome reason, a young man with fierce golden eyes and wild white hair invaded her vision.

**The Next Morning**

Inuyasha woke _without _his usual bravado. He silently sat up and turned off the alarm clock. Immediately following, he rolled over and went back to sleep.

Sango woke leisurely at eleven-thirty. She was fully rested and smiling as she twisted onto her back and looked over at her clock.

A shocked gasp was heard echoing out of her compartment, followed by a squeal. This woke Miroku who was in the compartment above her. He said it was because he'd always dreamed of her under him, but she suspected it was just because he didn't want to sleep close to the ground. The top bunk was always the best, you know.

He peeked his head out of his curtain, looked down, and pulled aside hers.

"What's wrong?"

His eyes were droopy, his hair was messy, and his voice was pleasantly husky. She'd never seen him like this. Inuyasha always got him awake before she could see. She blushed before she replied, hoping he wouldn't notice in his half-asleep state.

"Did you see what time it is?"

"No." He looked over at his clock. They never set them anymore. Not since Inuyasha took it upon himself to be their personal alarm. "OH MY GOD!" He flipped back down to look at her and almost fell out of his bunk. His eyes slowly focused from the head rush. "Do you think something's wrong with him?"

"I don't know." She climbed out and reached up to the third bunk, right over Miroku. He resisted the grope presented to him, clad only in a gray T-shirt. She was so lucky he was still sleeping on the inside.

"Inuyasha. Hey, Inuyasha." The hanyou growled at her and burrowed deeper into the pillow. She looked down to Miroku. "I think he's dieing."

Her concerned tone brought Miroku out from his hole. He looked at his friend while balancing on the edge of his bunk and pulling on Inu's mattress to hold himself up.

"Hey buddy. What's up?" Getting no response, he grew concerned. "Come on Inu. What's so bad you can't even say 'Hi' to me?"

Inuyasha showed his first sign of life that morning and rolled over to give the monk-by-inheritance an icy glare. Then he turned back around and ignored them once more.

Miroku was shocked. Sango was speechless. They retreated back to their previous positions and sat dumbly on their bunks. Sango spoke first.

"What did you do to him Houshi?" Her tone was scolding. It broke him from his reverie.

"I didn't do anything, Sangooooooooo."

A loud "HA!" could be heard coming from the bunk above their heads.

"HEY! I was on pitch all night!" Miroku defended himself.

Sango whispered in his ear, inadvertently sending chills up and down his neck. "Wouldn't that just make him want to wake us up earlier?"

He hadn't thought of that. "Maybe. So what's his problem?" He whispered back.

Sango shrugged. "Who knows why he's sulking."

"I'M NOT SULKING!" Miroku raised a sardonic brow and Sango snorted. Inuyasha suddenly jumped from his bunk to glare at them. "Shut up you two. You don't know anything! Whatever. I don't need to take this shit." He grabbed his ever-present black hoodie and stormed off the bus, passing a stunned driver and the old manager.

Totosai caught his sleeve. "Inuyasha, we're leaving."

"I'll meet you there." He pulled his arm away from his supervisor.

"What are you talking about?"

Spinning on one heel, the half-youkai's face twisted in a near rage. "I'm not getting stuck on a bus for five hours with that traitor!"

"What?"

"Never mind!" He began running. "See you there." The last of their conversation petering off in the breeze as he ran away from his problems.

Totosai looked on in stunned amazement. He'd never done that before. And what was that about a traitor? His wrinkles settled into deep lines. Rushing up the steps onto the bus, he faced the other members of the band as they sat in the stupor left behind in Inuyasha's wake. The crew, that had gotten off at the gas station for a pee break and snacks, began to pile in behind him and sit on the benches lining the windows.

He walked back to the beds. They hadn't even gotten ready for the day and it was almost time for sound checks.

"Okay. What did you two say to him?" The old youkai demanded.

"Nothing. He was all pissy this morning and then he just ran off." Sango defended both herself and secret love.

"We didn't say a thing that could've offended him." Miroku also defended them both.

Totosai sighed. "Inuyasha is very touchy. Tell me everything that went on before I got on the bus."

So they did.

**Other Places**

The shadows hid his face. All she could tell was that he had the body of a god. His wild white hair seemed to float as he moved to her. His hands slid down his smooth stomach to grasp the edge of his black Harley Davidson shirt. Lifting it over his head, she could see his muscles ripple under smooth tan skin.

Long hair cascaded back into place as he flung it away and lifted glowing golden eyes to her. For the first time, she noticed how truly magnificent he was. Stalking her with lithe grace, he followed her as she arose from the silken sheets and moved to the bathroom.

She hopped into the already running water, only just noticing she was unclothed, and pulled the red curtain closed when she heard him open the door, for it could only be him. Only he could have that calming and yet incredibly arousing presence just by setting foot into a place.

His baggy black pants hit the floor with a thud and then he pulled aside the curtain. The hot water had lent a rosy tint to her skin and he stood still, a worshipful look on his handsome face.

She gasped as her sanctuary was invaded. The cooler air from the room outside chilled her and she shivered. He stepped in, closed the curtain, and still she shivered. He reached for her with both hands, pulled her flush against him, and still she shivered. The hot water and steam had heated her, and he only increased it, and yet, she shivered.

The trembling only grew when chills ran up and down her spine as he slowly kissed her jaw to the underside of her chin. He nipped the sensitive skin there and torturously moved down her neck, licking and nipping on his way to her collarbone. He kissed all the way across it and moved back up the other side of her neck giving it the same attention as he did the first.

She clung to his strength when her knees gave out. He pinned her between the wall and himself. Talk about a rock and a hard place. The marble was cool against her back and renewed her shivers. The soft skin of her nipples rubbed against the hard planes of his chest, lightly scraping the fine white hairs adorning it. She moaned at the sensation only to have an answering growl reverberate through her. She didn't question the odd response, being too wrapped up in the moment.

His head dipped to claim her lips in a fiery kiss, feeding her passion to levels of insanity. Her back arched from the wall and into him as she pulled him closer, her nails slipping against his back from the water spraying over them both.

He lifted her by the buttocks and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist. He knocked the shampoos and conditioners from the ledge they were sitting on and lowered himself and the woman in his arms onto it instead. She could feel the muscled body beneath her quivering, though if it was from exertion or trying to hold back, she had no idea. His new position placed her directly under the showerhead and the heated water stoked the fire inside. These combined and she bucked forward, tilting her head back and feeling the burning rivulets course down her torso.

His hold tightened on her hips and he moaned. With her back arched, her breast was easily accessed by his mouth. He fiercely attacked the perfect globe presented to him, laving it until it tingled and then switched to the other when it too stood pert, begging for attention. Her hands ran up his arms, over his chest, and to his shoulders were she held on for dear life as the heat coiled and begged to be released.

Just as he shifted his weight, spreading her legs wider and positioning his engorged member against her female core…..

She woke up.

Her heart was racing, she was panting loudly, and she couldn't seem to escape the sticky sensation sliding between her thighs. Kagome soon found out female versions of a wet dream are the worst a girl can have as the wetness begged for a friction she didn't want to give.

She stumbled to the bathroom and almost groaned when her dream came back full force. She quickly washed her hair and body, desperately trying to ignore the pleasant scrape of the wash cloth against her still sensitive chest. She was ultimately unable to resist a quick swirl against her bud, immediately regretting the action as it only made her situation worse.

****

She finished shortly after, depriving herself of thinking of him as she did what she HAD to do. After all, she was a twenty-three year old virgin. There was no way she could have saved it that long without _something _to take the edge off. She justified it with the thought that most people did it. Every girl had done it at least once. She just happened to be one of the few that did it two times a night on average. And since last night she was too tired to perform what had become her nightly ritual, the tension had manifested in her dreams. Only thing she couldn't figure was:

Why Inuyasha?

Of all the people she could've dreamed about, it had to be that arrogant, insensitive jerk. That over-bearing bastard of a man. She pulled on her thong, bounced her breasts into a push-up bra, shimmied her skirt up her hips and was in the process of pulling the baby-tee over her head when a knock sounded on the door.

**On a street somewhere**

A black and white blur raced along the road to Pittsburgh. Impossible for the human eye to recognize it as the famous 'Golden-Eyed Heartthrob'.

Inuyasha ran on.

He ran to blow off steam. He ran to get away from his problems. But most of all, he ran to clear his head. His dreams had been plagued by a dark haired woman, spread seductively across his bed. She was far prettier than even Helen of Troy could possibly have been. Unfortunately for him, she had this thing for his best friend and was dating the lead singer of their opening act.

It was so unfair that he could have her on the bed or in the shower, well actually, it wasn't his room at home but somehow he knew it was his. And she would only be there in his dreams. Or, more realistically, his nightmares. And to wake up, right before he'd seated himself in her completely, with an irrepressible stiffy tightening his sweatpants…..

It was too much.

Then there was those two idiots trying to figure out what was wrong with him. It took all his willpower to wait for the _problem _to recede enough to get up.

He had to leave before he lost his mind. It didn't matter that this concert was one of the last ones. Only three more to go before they got a one month break preparing to write their second album. Then he would only have three more months to write it and get a new warm-up band. One without wolves.

He'd told Totosai it was a bad idea when the old man had hired them. But did that old codger listen? No! And what's worse, now he has to face Kagome every time something involving Kikyo came up. Why did she have to be the manager! She was barely old enough to drink! How did she get put in charge of other people's careers?

He poured on the speed. Not knowing or caring that he was going in the wrong direction. He soon found himself in front of a hotel.

"What am I doing here?" He looked around for some clue to why he'd come to this location. Finding none, he walked into the lobby. He didn't see anything special. Nothing stuck out except for the lack of any employees. So he started walking around.

He heard a noise from the back room and quickly pulled the hood over his head, hiding his very recognizable white hair from view.

"Damn it all! I forgot my sunglasses!" He turned away from the front desk and walked towards some stairs. Breathing in, he caught a scent. And it was very disturbing.

"Can I help you?" A feminine male's voice rang from the desk.

"ACK!" Inuyasha held his fast beating heart. "No. I'm fine." He said without turning around.

"Are you sure?" The clerk walked around. He recognized that jacket.

"Really. I'm fine. Just looking for something."

"I can help you with that." He tried to see under the hood, but the man kept ducking his chin. If it was who he thought it was, this would be the crowning moment in his life. Sengoku's singer was so hot! And maybe he could have him all to himself. '_Eeeeeeee!' _He squealed inside_. 'I'm so naughty.'_

"Don't need it. Just looking."

The clerk reached for the hood. The unidentified man jerked away and raced for the stairs.

"Oh poo."

"Jakotsu! Did you just say poo?" The other desk clerk, who happened to be his brother and boss called.

He cringed and turned with his head down. "Yes Bankotsu."

The other man held out a jar. "You know what this means. Pay up." Jakotsu sighed and dropped a quarter in the jar. "And were you assaulting that man?"

"I was not! I was just trying to see who it was!"

The other man just raised a brow.

"Oh fine! Shit." He dropped another quarter in the jar.

"That's better." He shook the almost full 'Naughty Boy' jar. "We'll break you of these habits soon enough. Once you learn not to go after men and curse right, then you can stop giving away all your tips."

"Shut up." He grumbled.

**Kagome's Room**

"Just a minute!" Kagome shouted. She finished pulling on her shirt and twisted her hair up in a towel. Cautiously, she walked to the door, looked out the peephole, and sighed.

Throwing the bolt, she let in her boyfriend. Kouga stepped into the room and grinned. "Having dreams about me?" He asked oh-so-cockily.

"No." She replied flatly.

His smirk dropped a fraction. "Really?" He forced on a smile. "Then who?" He could smell it. She was thinking about it. Her scent peaked on the hot and heavy side. Then she spoke.

"Who said I have to dream about someone?"

He restrained himself from screaming out his thoughts. _'Because this room in drenched in your arousal!' _It was hard, but he managed. The urge to claim what was his was intense. He desperately tried to keep from clenching his jaw and fists as his instincts raged within him to discipline her for lying to him. Jealousy is a dangerous emotion. Without control, the results could be disastrous.

"No one said you had to." He sounded as airy as he could in the situation. "I just sensed that you did."

He hated hiding his true species from her. It was ridiculous. But humans were so biased against anything that was different that youkai such as himself couldn't trust them. Once he wooed her in human terms though, then revealing himself would not be a problem.

But why did the human mating rituals have to take so freakin' long! He'd been 'seeing' her for almost six months now. If she was a youkai, she'd be pregnant with their first litter. And the farthest he'd ever gotten was a couple kisses and one quick feel up her shirt, which ended in a slap and getting thrown out of her room. Women, especially human ones, were complex creatures.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Well, I didn't. So could you just drop it?" He could smell her deceit, but said nothing. Doing so would only lead into a huge explanation that she wasn't ready for.

"Sure. But only for you." He moved closer to her, reaching out to take her in his arms. He had to erase thoughts of any other male from her mind.

She allowed him to kiss her. It didn't have any spark. No earth shaking properties, no fireworks. Nothing like the man in her dream. When he finally released her lips, she asked him a question that had been bugging her.

"Kouga?"

"Hm?" He nuzzled her hair.

"Why aren't you on your way to Boston?"

He chuckled. "I told them I'd catch up. I had to see you before you disappeared on me again."

Her brow lowered. "Are you going to buy a plane ticket or something?"

He pulled away from her. "No…I'm…uh…"

"Yes?" She asked testily.

"I…was going to…ru-…hitchhike." He inwardly smirked to himself.

"You're going to hitchhike to another state?" She pushed him and he fell on her bed. "What kind of stupid, idiotic." She huffed. "Do you know what could happen to you doing that?"

"Are you worried about me? That's so sweet." He pulled her down on top of him. "You don't have anything to worry about Kagome. I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself." He propped himself up for a kiss.

Just as his mouth was about to devour hers, her door slammed open again. Then _he _walked in, and stood staring at the picture they made.

Inuyasha couldn't believe it. First he gets assaulted with that smell, coming from here in this room. Then he had to fend off that weird desk clerk. And now he's seeing this. The woman of his dreams sprawled atop this wolf. 'Damnit!'

"What do you want dog turd? Can't you see we're busy here?"

Kagome shoved away from him and awkwardly got up. "We are not." She straightened her hair and clothes. "Can I help you? Are you lost or something?"

"Yeah, why are you here puppy?" Kouga got off the bed and glared at the intruder, instantly stating his claim by putting an arm around _his _woman.

Kagome was looking at Inuyasha expectantly, Kouga with disdain.

_'Think of something quick.' _The hanyou mentally screamed_. 'What AM I doing here? I can't even answer that! Think think think.'_

"I…..uh, wanted to talk to you about…..um, that thing." He cringed. That was the best he could come up with!

Kagome's brow raised in suspicion. "What 'thing'?"

"You know. That thing, with the, uh, the album cover. I mean, you are her manager and all, so I thought--"

Kouga burst out in a vengeful chuckle, cutting off his babbling. "Manager!" He nudged the girl beside him with his elbow. "Kagome, he thinks you're her manager!" He laughed some more.

Inuyasha's scowl grew deeper than it already was. Kagome smiled tightly and tried not to smack her boyfriend.

"She's only the assistant!" The laughing grew louder.

"She's a _what_!"

**Y'all know you love me. So why don't you tell me about it. R&R. Thanks.**


	5. Wanting You

**Disclaimer: Even though it's been a long ass time, I still haven't obtained the rights to my favorite anime. I also don't own Rage Against the Machine, Bowling For Soup ('A Hangover You Don't Deserve' rocks my socks off!), or Tripping Daisies ('I Am An Elastic Firecracker'! Yeah baby!).**

**Chapter 5: Wanting you…**

Kouga's laughter was bordering on psychotic. So Kagome elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs.

Hard.

"Ow. That hurt baby." Kouga pouted. "Why did you do that?"

"Just shut up, okay?" She hissed. "Sorry Inuyasha."

"You're _apologizing _to him!"

Kagome promptly ignored her man. "I never meant to deceive anybody. Really, I was quite ignorant of the fact that I even did. And actually I'm not deceiving anyone because Kaede put me in charge of Kikyo _during _this whole thing, and that sort of makes me her manager, but only where it's concerned." She realized she was just rambling on and on, so she stopped.

"You didn't tell me you got a promotion!" Kouga shouted in righteous anger. His woman was keeping secrets from him. What's next? A wild affair that comes to light years afterward!

Inuyasha watched the scene play out in a detached silence. Blinking, he sat on the bed. He had gone from embarrassed anger, to shock that his original hunch was correct, then just plain befuddlement that she could be apologizing so much over something so trivial. And then of course there was the undertones of the couple's discussion.

Apparently Kouga had no hold over Kagome, and didn't seem to possess any of her affection anymore, if he ever had. Maybe he still had a shot. Maybe the only girl he'd ever felt this way about before could still like him the way he liked her.

Maybe he was getting ahead of himself.

"Can we talk about this later?" Kagome asked with a razor-like tone.

"Fine." Kouga turned to stomp out, but had one more scathing remark to hurl at that hanyou. "Watch yourself puppy. I'll know if you even touched her."

Kagome's brow furrowed in confusion. "Wha-?"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"See ya later, Kagome." Kouga walked briskly down the hall, nudging past the people that had come to look at the commotion being shouted through the corridor. He couldn't let loose his speed with all these mortals hanging around. They'd be too freaked out. _'Move it ningen!' _He thought as he hit the street.

"Um, okay." Kagome faced Inuyasha once she turned from staring at the doorway. "So. Uh. I'm sorry. About everything."

"Don't be." Inuyasha tilted his head to the side and cracked his neck, all the while trying to ease the tension in his back. "You had nothing to do with us jumping to conclusions."

"Thanks." She shifted from one foot to another. "Do you want a drink or something?"

Sensing her unease, Inuyasha politely declined. And that's saying something. "No. I think I better go. We're supposed to be somewhere, uh, soon." He pulled his hood up once more since it had fallen down in his mad dash for her room earlier. "But, I would like to keep in touch. Um, can I have your number…..or something?" He mentally hit himself in the head. _'God that was corny.'_

Kagome smiled at him. "I think your manager has it. Isn't that his job?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course it is." Inuyasha turned red and immediately faced the door to leave. "Well, I guess I'll see ya around, huh?"

"Yeah." Kagome cleared her throat. "Bye."

"Uh, bye." He quickly exited. Once far enough away that she couldn't hear, he berated his inexperience with women. "GAH! I'm such an idiot! What was I thinking? Just babbling like that, she probably thinks I'm an idiot or something. And I have a long way to run to catch up with everyone. I just hope that desk clerk is occupied." He got a chill thinking about the ambiguous man and forced himself one step closer to the lobby.

He passed a table lining the hallway. On top was a copy of the Wall Street Journal. He picked it up and walked down the stairs. Then he calmly walked past the front desk, the newspaper in front of his face, and out into the street. "Phew." Looking both ways, he ran towards Boston.

**Back on the bus**

"And that's the whole story, Totosai." Miroku finished. It was longer than he thought it would be. Especially since he had to add what happened the night before that would cause this morning's fiasco to it.

"Hmmmm." Totosai stroked his goatee as he thought. "Hmmmmmmmmmmm."

"Hmm what?" Sango exploded after two minutes of beard stroking.

"Hmmm none-ya." The old man walked back to the sleeping area on the bus and laid down in one of the beds to think. _'Most interesting. Maybe I can substitute Kagome for Kikyo. They do look a lot alike.' _Planning publicity stunts was harder than he expected. So many variables that could make it go wrong. _'And the tabloids. They would be my biggest obstacle. Tama's face is everywhere. Still, from far enough away Kagome is identical to Kikyo.' _He stroked his chin again. "But would they fall for it up close?"

"Would who fall for what?" Two voices said simultaneously.

"AHHHHHH!" Totosai screamed at seeing both Sango and Miroku across from him staring intently at his face. "Don't sneak up on an old man like that! You could have given me a heart attack!"

"Come on. Tell us what you're plotting jijii." Sango demanded.

"It's for the best." Miroku added.

Totosai thought it over. Maybe they could help him. "Well….."

"Don't you remember what happened the last time you did something without consulting us first?" Sango let the threat hang on that precious memory.

He rubbed his head. "Yes. I still have a lump from it."

"Well you shouldn't have played 'Hello Kitty' behind us during 'Killing in the Name Of'." Sango expounded. Miroku nodded his head behind her.

"But everybody loves 'Hello Kitty'." The old man defended. "And she's white."

"Did you even understand what the song was about?"

He thought about it. "No. Not really."

They fell backwards. "It's about the KKK working on the police force."

"Oh really?" He thought about it more.

"Come on! 'Some of those that work forces are the same that burn crosses'?" Miroku said the words for him. Totosai just looked at him with wide unblinking eyes. "What about, 'Those that died are justified for wearing the badge and their chosen white'?"

"Is that what you were saying?"

"What did you think we were saying?"

"I don't know. The only thing I understood was 'And now you do what they told you'." He laughed. "I thought it was about school children finger painting."

They fell back once more with an exasperated groan.

Miroku stood and straightened out his sweatshirt. "Now I remember why we don't do protest songs."

"Why?" Inuyasha took off his hoodie the second he stepped on the bus. Running two hundred miles in ten minutes wasn't as easy as he made it look. Not to mention banging on the door as it hastened on at full speed until the driver opened it for him…

"Inuyasha. Nice to see you back." Totosai got out of the bed and walked slowly to the hanyou. He got close and stared right into his face with those bulbous eyes. "And where have you been?"

He shrugged. "You know. Around. Clearing my head."

"Uh-huh."

"So, old man." Sango started. "As you were saying earlier…?"

Totosai tilted his head and blinked at them. He climbed from the bunk and started walking. Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha followed the old youkai to the back of the bus. Totosai sat at the kitchen table, put one sock-less foot on top of it, and started giving himself a pedicure.

"Ew!"

"Sick!"

"Come on jijii! We eat there!"

"Get over it." He picked at his ingrown toenail. "There's some 409 under the sink."

All three groaned and found other things to do.

'Hehehe. Works every time.' He thought to himself. 'At least being old lets me get out of _some _things.'

"How'd the Wall Street Journal get on my dashboard?" Shouted the driver.

Later, after the show

The rain began pouring in the middle of the concert. It was a slight drizzle init-

(AN: Sorry for the interruption in my _riveting _story. Does anyone else just wanna break out in song every time they see the 'later' or 'meanwhile' transition phrases. It's a country song, so I don't think many would. But I always wanna sing 'Meanwhile, back at the ranch' and pump my fist across my chest every time I see it. Maybe it's just me. Anyway, sorry again. Continue.)

As I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself : It was a slight drizzle initially but soon became a full fledged storm. As the fans poured from the music hall, they welcomed the chilly rain after hours of moshing and screaming their lungs out.

The band ran for the bus under umbrellas provided by their entourage. Yura, Hiten and Manten gave them the extra protection as they ran for cover themselves.

Everyone piled onto the bus and shook the excess water from their clothes as they sat down in the booths around the kitchen table, completely forgetting what had happened there right before the show. Old man toe jam was not their highest priority at the moment. Immediately following the concert, Totosai had told them that the four months they thought they had to make a new album and take a break was shortened to two.

"The label doesn't want to waste so much time between releases." Inuyasha said, trying to imitate the old man's crackly voice. "You're a new band and we need as much exposure as we can get."

"In a few years, _then _you can take a rest." Sango put in her honey-coated barb.

"You've been touring for nearly a year while the masses outgrow you record." Miroku joined in.

"I'm an old fart head," the hanyou continued, "who is the only reason you've even been touring for this long in the first place."

"But I'm taking no blame on _my _dirt old self for your suffering." Sango ended it with the old youkai's favorite piece of advice. "Buck up and be more creative."

"This blows." Miroku sighed and sunk further into his seat.

"We aren't even going to get a chance to rest." Sango whined.

"Hey, hey, hey." Inuyasha held up his hands. "This is the life we chose for ourselves. Whatever gets thrown our way is just another wrench in the machine of life. Everyone has to deal with them and we're no different."

The two stared at him.

"But it still doesn't change the fact that it sucks." He agreed as he sunk into the booth opposite Miroku.

"Okay people, let's get working." Totosai burst into the van with a pencil and paper in hand.

The three shot him withering glares and made no move to get up.

"I see that you're upset." He set the paper down on the table and left the pencil beside it. "But we only have so long before they want this record." He plugged in the recorder. "And since Miroku has pointed out that you won't allow me to hire someone to write songs for you," He pressed the record button. "you'll have to start now to get done in time." He turned and settled into his bunk. "Good luck kids." Soon deep breathing was heard coming from the bunk punctuated by rough snores.

"Miroku?" Sango whispered.

"Yes?"

"Did he just say you were the reason we won't be getting a break?"

"Yeah, letch. It did sound an awful lot like that."

"Come on. I only said that we couldn't sing someone else's songs."

"Yeah okay." Sango said sarcastically as she stood and started to collapse the table so it fit in it's cubby hole.

"Fine. Don't believe me." He got out his practice mat and started a beat that was sticking in his head.

"Alright. Any one got ideas?" Inuyasha asked while pulling his acoustic from it's bag.

"Stubborn women." Miroku grumbled.

"Deceitful men." Sango got out her bass.

The two glared at each other and Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Great ideas guys. However, I don't want to sound gay and wouldn't a song about stubborn women make most women hate us?"

"I was just kidding." Miroku said.

"Whatever. Let's just do this." Sango started strumming out a simple tune.

"I can feel it." Inu joined in with a rockin' melody and started humming. "Hmmm-hmm-hm. Feels like a break-up song."

After an hour they had beat out a pretty good tune. It started out with just Sango on the bass and slowly filtered in the others.

_I wanna wake_

_Up in your arms_

_I wanna set_

_Off your alarms_

_I wanna break_

_Into your car_

_And I wanna take out the backseat_

_The one where you told me_

_Everything I thought I always wanted to hear_

_The one where you told me that it's over_

The music picked up to a plucking bittersweet melody.

_And every time you look in your rear-view mirror_

_I hope you see me_

_And all the stuff we did when we were back there together_

_Uh-huh_

There was a pregnant pause while Inuyasha said the first words and then the music picked up again.

_I hope you like your two-seater_

_No radio_

_Key marks bellowed out to the pinstripes_

_Windows broken_

_Your T-top stolen_

_Now it's one of a kind_

All playing stopped while he sang the next words.

_Thanks for the ride_

There was a smooth transition back to the original beat.

_I gotta get_

_The hell out of Dodge_

_I just spent the whole night avoiding the cops_

_And I just don't think_

_I'll got to the clink_

_Just cause I took out the backseat_

_Remember you told me_

_Everything I thought I always wanted to hear_

_And that's where you told me that it's over_

_And every time you look in your rear-view mirror_

_I hope you see me_

_And all the stuff we did when we were back there together_

_Uh-huh_

_I hope you like your two-seater_

_No radio_

_Key marks bellowed out to the pinstripes_

_Windows broken_

_Your T-top stolen_

_Now it's one of a kind_

_Thanks for the ride_

It slowed down considerably as they threw in their trademark melody change.Inuyasha sounded almost sad as he sang the next part. Miroku harmonized pieces of it to give it a more sorrowful edge.

_Can you hear your radio_

_I bet ya can't hear your radio_

_So you'll never know I wrote this song_

_For you_

_I'm sorry that your tires are flat_

_I know you really weren't expectin that_

_I guess I got a little carried away_

_So when you look in your rear-view mirror_

_I hope you see me thererere_

It picked up again and Sango joined in with some 'Bah-bah-bah's.

_I hope you like your two-seater_

_No radio_

_Key marks bellowed out to the pinstripes_

_Windows broken_

_Your T-top stolen_

_Now it's one of a kind_

_Thanks for the ride_

_(No radio) ba-ba-ba_

_Your two-seater_

_(No radio) ba-ba-ba_

_Thanks for the ride_

_(No radio) ba-ba-ba_

_Your two-seater_

_(No radio) ba-ba-ba_

_Thanks for the ride_

_(No radio) ba-ba-ba_

_Your two-seater_

_(No radio)_

_Thanks for the ride_

The song ended with some classic punk distortion as all three pounded away to an abrupt close.

"You don't think it sounds too destructive do you?" Sango questioned. "I mean, it cracks me up but it's about you destroying a girl's car for dumping you."

"Naw." Miroku was still banging on the plastic training circle. "If you've ever been dumped by a girl you were that in love with you'd want something to remember her by."

"God I hope I never do." She muttered. "But doing all that other stuff?"

"We said we got a little carried away." Inu defended.

"Whatever. I'm going to sleep." Sango put away her bass. "Night."

"Night." The boys chorused.

"So. You ready for bed yet?" Miroku asked, still pounding it out.

"Nope. Wide awake now."

Miroku nodded. "Any ideas?"

"Not really." He strummed out a somewhat 90's-ish sounding tune. "I saw Kagome today."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Got her stuck in your head huh?"

"Yep."

"Wanna write a song about it?"

"Dunno. Maybe"

Miroku's face brightened. "I just got an idea."

"Let's hear it."

"How about the girls."

"What?"

"Yeah. Just about them."

Miroku started singing.

_I got a girl who lives with me._

Inuyasha looked at him expectantly. "And?"

"That's all I got so far."

"Really."

"Yeah."

"All right. I can work with that."

_I got a girl she smells so sweetly_

Miroku grinned and picked up on it.

_I got a girl she loves her dog_

Inuyashasmiled. "Was that a crack at me?"

"Maybe."

"Ha ha." He said flatly, a glint in his eye.

_I got a girl I love her dog too!_

Miroku chuckled. "Touché."

Inuyashalooked at him "Where do we go from here?"

"Dunno." Miroku kept the beat. "How 'bout you start the next verse."

"That's you're way of saying you got nothin' isn't it."

"Yep."

"Okay."

_I got a girl who stares in the mirror_

Miroku chuckled. "So we're to that already?"

"Huh?"

"It's alright, I got you."

_I got a girl who blames it on her period_

Inuyasha laughed out right. "Sounds like Sango."

"Hey, I take from life."

_I got a girl she is so right_

"Good one Inu."

_I got a girl she's my guiding light_

"Man, you're going sappy on me letch."

"Yeah, but it fits."

"Any ideas for a chorus?"

"Nope."

"How about this." Inuyasha started strumming faster.

_Well I know, all I need, and I feel we're going higher and higher_

"Good."

"I think we should sing it together."

"Gay-bo."

"No man. Like harmonize and shit."

Miroku quirked a brow. "Okay, we'll try it."

_Well I know, all I need, and I feel we're going higher and higher_

"All right. Sounds good."

"Yeah. But what's it about?"

Inu shrugged. "Dunno. But it works."

"Truth."

"You're turn."

_I got a girl who loves good soul_

"Definitely Sango."

"That's the point. You're up, puppy."

"Low blow bro." He managed to look hurt through his grin.

_I got a girl who dances to disco_

"She does?"

"Yeah. Saw her doin' it after the Grammy's."

"When?"

"Right before she started chewing out Kikyo."

"Hm."

_I got a girl who wears cool shoes_

"Like you ever look past her boobs."

"Occasionally."

Inuyashagrinned as he thought up the next verse.

_I got a girl who wears them in the nude!_

Miroku's eyes bulged out of his head. "When did you see that?"

"I didn't. But it works. And for all I know she could."

"Maybe." Miroku smiled as he imagined it.

"Stop thinking about her that way!"

"Sorry. Habit. Next verse." He thought about it. "What can I possibly say after that?"

Inu sighed. "Fine. I'll start."

_I got a girl who speaks her mind_

"Okay, got the next one."

_I got a girl who will argue anytime_

_I got a girl she is so small_

_I got a girl she'll knock down any wall_

"She would too." Inuyasha agreed. "Good stuff."

"Of course." Miroku stated arrogantly.

"Time for the chorus?"

"Yep."

_Well I know, all I need, and I feel we're going higher and higher_

_Well I know, all I need, and I feel we're going higher and higher_

"This is working fine, but I think we should break it up right about here." Inu said as he picked up the tempo and tweaked it a little.

"I got it." Miroku exclaimed as he followed Inuyasha's beat. "Just follow my lead."

_Get a load of this, she's always bitching at me when I'm feeling down, asking questions with her little frown, I can't take much more of this, I'm out out out out out out out out….._

"DUDE!"

"I know!"

"Let's try it again."

"Yeah. I think it sounds pretty good with the overlapping thing."

"Sweet. Me too."

_Get a load of this, she's always bitching at me when I'm feeling down, asking questions with her little frown, I can't take much more of this, I'm out out out out out out out….._

Inu reverted to the old melody. "Start us back out Houshi."

_I got a girl I love to kiss_

"When have you ever kissed Sango?"

"In my dreams."

"Only."

"If you weren't my friend I'd kick your ass."

"Let's see it."

"Shut up. She might. One day."

Inu smirked with insider's knowledge. "Keep dreaming."

_I got a girl I never wanna miss_

"Like you don't already."

"Hey, we're going on dreams here."

"Right." Miroku rolled his eyes.

_I got a girl who's my best friend_

"Ah. I'm hurt."

"Hey, you're the one that made fun of me."

"Fine."

_I got a girl that won't even hold my hand_

"Better now?"

"Marginally."

"Guess you're going to make me go first again." Inu sighed.

Miroku smiled. "Hey, gotta keep up the pattern."

_I got a girl that makes me laugh_

_I got a girl I'll make her laugh too_

"Where to from here?" Inuyasha asked.

"Dunno. I'm pretty much out of ideas."

"Me too." Inuyasha though about it. "Hmmm, something about Kagome….."

_I got a girl she has girlfriends_

Miroku smirked. "I can _definitely _work with that."

_I got a girl I like her girlfriends!_

"Only you would think of something like that."

"Hey, I take from life." He said again.

"And just what girlfriends does Sango have that you've see around?"

"There was that one girl."

"When?"

"Back in high school."

"Oh yeah." He thought deeply. "I think I went out with her."

"Yeah. What was her name?"

"Damn. It was so long ago."

"Wasn't it like Shampoo or something?"

"I think it was Akane."

"Oh yeah. Shampoo was the one that always hung with that weird guy."

"Yeah. But Akane only went with me to make that weird guy jealous. He was like her fiancé or something."

"No way."

"Yeah."

"Hm. Chorus?"

"Yep."

_Well I know, all I need, and I feel we're going higher and higher_

_Well I know, all I need, and I feel we're going higher and higher_

"I'm stuck."

"Sing it again?"

"Sure."

_Well I know, all I need, and I feel we're going higher and higher_

_Well I know, all I need, and I feel we're going higher and higher_

"We gotta wrap it up." Inuyasha said.

"Unless we wanna just fade out." Miroku suggested.

"It doesn't feel like a fade out song."

"True."

"You start."

Miroku scoffed. "But I got nothin."

"Buck up and be more creative."

"Fine!"

_I got a girl_

"What. That's it?"

"I told you I got nothin."

_I got a girl_

"You out too?"

"Yes."

"Okay. We'll just keep on it."

_I got a girl_

Inu had a stroke of genius.

_And she's got a guy_

"Nice."

"I know." Inu huffed on his nails and buffed them against his shirt. "That's why I'm the lead."

"Whatever man." Miroku smiled. "I'm beat."

"Bed?"

"Yep."

Inuyasha put up his guitar while Miroku stopped the recorder and put it away. Together they set the table up again.

"This thing is heavy!" Miroku huffed.

"No it's not."

"For those of us without youkai strength it is."

"Sango did it alone."

"Yeah, but she's like an Amazon."

"So, you like the rough women?"

"You should know that by now."

The hanyou just shook his head while he climbed up to his bunk. Miroku followed soon after.

"Goodnight John-boy." Miroku called.

"Good night Elizabeth." Inu smiled. 'The Walton's' was a good show. For being old and sappy.

"Why am I always stuck being Elizabeth?"

Inuyasha just laughed and went to sleep.

**Two Shows Later**

(An: Sorry again, but these kind of transitions always make me think of Spongebob. Anyone else agree? No? **sheepish fidgeting** Moving on…..)

They had stumbled through the last two shows without a hitch and were now back in their New York flat. Since that first night, they had been able to write two more songs. So only nine more to go before they met the label's minimum for a CD. And if they kept going like this, they might even get a short break.

"Home sweet home." Sango called, dropping her purse with her arms spread wide.

Miroku looked around. "It's bigger than I remember."

"That's just because after five months on a bus with eleven other people, anything looks like a fuckin' palace." Inuyasha grunted while jumping to his room in the loft with one effortless heave.

The other two just smiled. He could hide his feelings from most people, but they knew him better than that. He could be gruff and surly and had the worst mouth any of them had ever met. Yet, behind all that, he was just a boy wanting to be accepted. Loved. Too bad he drove most women off with that attitude of his.

"Where's Inuyasha?" Totosai called as he entered.

"In his room." The pair said together.

"Don't start that again." Inuyasha called from above them.

"Ah. Boy. Get down here." The old youkai yelled. "I have something to tell you all."

He landed on the balls of his feet before the small company. "This better be good. Not like the last thing you had to tell us."

"I assure you it's nothing like that."

"Then speak up jijii."

"Hush boy and maybe I will." He sighed as he ducked his head and muttered under his breath. "Honestly. If he was my kid I'd have smacked some sense into that thick skull of his long ago."

"Is that a threat?" Inuyasha held up a fist to sock the old man.

Totosai backed up a few steps frantically waving his hands before his face. "No, no. Nothing like that. I merely want to tell you that the label is having you record the album in LA."

"Great. A change of pace." Inu sarcastically drawled.

"Ah, California. I can see the palm trees blowing by the ocean right now." Miroku smiled dreaming. "Along with all the girls in their suits." He began drooling. "Little scraps of cloth clinging to their dripping wet skin, barely covering a th- OW!"

Sango lowered her hand. "Stuff it letch."

He just smiled. "Why Sango, I had no idea you cared so much." Her face flamed as he grabbed her hand and rubbed it on his cheek. "But you're the only beach bunny for me."

The other two grimaced when she pulled her hand away and pummeled him even more.

**On the other side of the country**

Kagome juggled her clipboard, pen, cell phone, and two coffees, desperately trying to keep the burning liquid from scorching down the front of her new white blouse. "This shouldn't be a problem." She griped. And it wouldn't be. If the stuck up models and their people would stop pushing her into the wall!

"God I hate fashion shows."

"They don't like you too much either." Kikyo said as she grabbed her coffee from Kagome's hand. "Ow Ricardo! My hair is not taffy! So stop pulling it."

"My 'pol-geez Miz Key-ko." The Spaniard bowed deeply with the brush and dryer in his hand. "I do bedder. I prrroemis." His grin was lascivious when he stood up again.

Kikyo giggled as the handsome hair dresser (AN: 'Leapin lizards Batman!' **looks around** Sorry. **slinks off to a dark corner to write**) straightened her hair without incident.

Kagome just rolled her eyes. 'She steals my boyfriend and then flirts with every cute guy that comes her way. Honestly!' She started as her coffee was taken from her hand.

"Tank yu gurl." He lifted it to his lips. "Leaf now." He set it on the counter behind him.

"But that's-"

"Let him have it Kagome." Kikyo said as her make-up artist applied some shimmer to her pout. "He's been working so hard."

Kagome growled and stalked off to confer with the costume designer. "I really, really hate fashion shows."

**A few hours later**

The limo was exquisite. Kagome sat by the driver's window trying hard not to look towards the giggles coming from the other end. Naraku always enjoyed watching Kikyo work and he was especially _appreciative _of the Victoria's Secret show tonight.

"Stop it Ku." Kikyo teetered. "That tickles."

He growled in her ear again. "But I don't want to." He licked the curve of her ear down to her neck. "Just wait until I get you home." He intoned while nibbling at her jugular.

Kagome almost gagged. To think she actually wanted that prick. Cried for him even. She disgusted herself sometimes.

The giggles turned to moans when Naraku started parting her top to get to her collarbone. He smirked with masculine pride at the prize he'd won. She clutched at his wavy hair, keeping him there.

'_Thank God._' Kagome screamed in her head when the limo came to a stop. She hurriedly jumped from the car and raced ahead of the couple to get to her room far, far away from their raging hormones.

"Narakuuuuuu!" Kikyo squealed as they came into the house.

The answering rumble made Kagome cringe and shudder. She made it to her room and shut the door quickly, collapsing on her bed. A sudden phone ringing on her belt made her jump from the comfy cushion. She fumbled to get it off while the happy tones of 'All Downhill from Here' echoed around the room.

"Hello?" She stuttered.

"Kagome!" Totosai's voice creaked over the line. "I have some great news."

Cringing again, she voiced. "I hope so. I could use some good news."

"The band will be in LA next week to start recording." He smiled as his plan came together. "And I was hoping you could show them around."

"Really?" Kagome sat heavily on the mattress. "That's good."

"You don't sound too happy about it."

'_Maybe because I don't want to get stuck in the same room with that enormous ego prancing around.' _She thought. _'He's such a jerk. Even if he looked so cute last week….. Shut up brain, shut up!' _Thinking quickly, she said as convincing as she could. "Oh, I am. But don't you think someone else would be more suitable for that?"

"Oh, no. Not at all." He laughed to himself. "You're the only one I can trust _not _to get them in trouble."

"I see." She laid back and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I guess I could show them a few things."

"Great. I'll tell them." He hung up.

"Wait. I." The girl sighed. Today was just not her day.

**Hello again. Sorry for the six month delay. I promise it will not happen for at least one more chapter. Maybe. I had some major issues going on, all listed at the bottom of my other huge fic that keeps growing in it's enormity. I updated that today too, after nine months, and if you're interested about my life you can read it there. For this fic however, all I have to say is:**

"**An eight week old kitten has WAY too much energy!"**

**He's completely savaged both my legs up to my knees and my right hand. Currently he's working on my left hand and my face. _And _he likes to walk on my keyboard when I'm trying to type.**

**Also, I hope the excessive songs in this fic didn't discourage some of you from continuing to read it. I promise my other chapters will not have this much. Someone said they could do without so much music, but this _is _a band fic. And I'm sorry, but this was necessary. As soon as I heard 'I got a girl' on the '90's at Noon' on my local radio station I immediately thought about Inu and Miroku singing it. Couldn't pass it up. However, 'Two-Seater' was just one of my favorite Bowling For Soup songs that I was listening to at the time and decided to stick it in there. It shows the creative process. Or at least the creative process when I write a song…..**

**In any case, I hope you liked it. R&R. Pretty pretty please.**


	6. I'd Eat You Alive!

**Disclaimer: Peter-Peter Pumpkin-Eater, Little Jack Horner, and Georgey Pordgey agree, I don't own a thing. Including them.**

**Chapter 6: I'd Eat You Alive!**

The band stepped off the plane at LAX. They warily made their way through the airport, hoping no one would stop them or even _recognize _them after three hours in the cabin. The boys post-plane clean up consisted of running a hand through their hair and walking on. Sango, being the only girl, tried to fix her hair and straighten her skirt.

"God I hate dressing up like this."

"But Sango, my sweet, you look absolutely ravishing." Miroku smiled and lifted his hand.

"Stow it houshi-sama." She glared at his offending appendage as it ran through his bangs again.

The man sighed. "I am so misunderstood." He grumbled, knowing that she was _really _grouchy if she called him by _that _little nickname.

They walked out the doors and to the waiting taxi, knowing their baggage was already at the hotel.

"Demolish Inns and Suites on Atkin's Avenue." Totosai shouted at the driver. "And step on it."

"Sure thing boss." The driver called back while grumbling to himself, "I'll show you step on it….."

The two youkai in the back pretended not to hear. Totosai because he was making a call and Inuyasha because he was too busy trying to hold his breath. The cab smelled worse than the roadies. It was a tortuous ten minutes for the hanyou wedged between the old man and the 'traitor' in a smelly cab driving to a slightly less smelly hotel. Sango had it a little better. She just had to deal with a leering cabbie up front who was trying to look down her blouse.

Once they reached the hotel, they had to make a mad dash for the elevators. Dodging rabid fans screaming their names in every direction. It was a tense ride to the top floor, and when they got in the room much belly aching was heard.

"I can't believe there was a women's soccer team staying here." Sango collapsed on the bed. "Who would've thought the largest amateur tournament in California history was scheduled for this week."

"I think the old man did it just to grate on our nerves."

"I didn't think it was that bad."

"Shut up!" Was heard from the other two.

"I can't believe I learned to talk for this." Miroku sighed. "Shouldn't have wasted my time."

"On the bright side, we got our own rooms for once." Sango cheered up.

"Speak for yourself." Inu groused.

"I am." She smiled.

Miroku sighed again. "Why do I always have to share my living space with the grump?"

"What!" Inu's brow twitched as he held up a fist.

"N-nothing." The monk stuttered and backed up a few steps.

"Good news kids." Totosai called from the door.

All three groaned anew.

"I just spoke with Kagome." Inu's ears perked up from their disguise, "She'll be here in about fifteen minutes to entertain you."

"Yay." Sango enthused. "What's she got lined up? Flirt-with-the-perv time?"

Miroku rolled his eyes when Inu growled. "Thanks a lot Sango."

Her eyes became wide and innocent. "What?"

"Touchy, touchy Inuyasha." Totosai shook his head. "No Sango, she's just going to show you a few places here in LA and maybe treat you to dinner. If you're nice."

"She said that?" Sango was shocked. She hadn't pegged Kagome as a giving kind of girl.

Totosai scratched his head. "Not exactly." She fell back onto her bed with a groan.

"So what do we do until she gets here?" Inu grumped.

"Wait."

Inuyasha started pacing. "I hate waiting."

An hour later she got there. Finally finding the room, she was greeted with "What took you so long wench?"

"Now I remember why I was loath to agree to this." She mumbled.

Sango bounced up. The petite woman might be after her man, but even _she _was a sight for sore eyes after an hour of the hanyou's blather. "So what are we doing?"

Kagome blinked at the woman who was grinning like a loon. "I _was _thinking we could eat at my favorite place, but right now I'm considering just walking back out."

Sango grabbed her arm. "Pleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaase stay." She leaned in to whisper. "I am so sick of being the only girl with these two."

Kagome smiled a little. "I can understand that."

The older girl laughed outright. "Good thing too. I don't think anyone else realizes what horrible company they can be."

The boys grumbled and followed them to the elevators. Once out, they followed Kagome to the parking lot. Then, after walking _fore-ev-er_, they finally reach her little blue Neon.

"You drive a Neon?" Inuyasha scoffed.

Kagome's brow twitched in annoyance. 'I will not yell at him. I will not yell at him. I will not yell at-' "Hey jackass! Get off my hood!"

"Feh." He skid off. "Just checking to see of it was good enough for you."

The girl growled and stomped to the driver's side. She unlocked the doors and climbed in. Miroku and Sango got into the back and Inuyasha barely had time to step into the passenger's seat before she gunned it and took off at speeds reached before only by a sprinting youkai.

"Is it good enough now!" Kagome screamed at him amidst honking horns and screeching tires.

"Yes." He gasped, peeling his skull from the headrest and desperately trying to fasten his seatbelt. "This is _not _a regular Neon."

"No it's not." She bit out.

They reached 'The Pink Jewel' in about five minutes, even though it was across town.

Sango leapt from the back seat, only to hug and kiss the ground. "LAND!" She cried.

Inu looked queasy and Miroku was holding his heart, which was about to beat _out _of his chest, when they stumbled from the little blue deathtrap.

Kagome's smile was spiteful as she climbed out and stared down at the hanyou. "I've been fixing cars for about three years now. Since all the agencies said I was too short to be a model in America, and thrashed my dreams. This is a souped up six cylinder with nitro boosters. Feel lucky I'm a good driver." She stomped off to find a table for four.

Sango glared at Inuyasha. "Never piss her off again or so help me god….."

He got up from the parking lot asphalt and shook himself. "I'll try." He coughed and followed the girl inside. _'She likes rock music _and _fixes cars. How awesome is that?'_

Miroku sidled up to Sango. "So, how was it for you?" He smirked.

Sango turned her glare at him. "Shut up. Just because I grabbed your arm it doesn't mean anything."

"Oh-ho-ho. What about when you were screaming my name?" He smirked lecherously.

An eye roll was followed by a feminine growl, and a beautiful fist was the last thing he saw.

Sango wiped her hands together and walked in.

"Where's Miroku?" Kagome asked when the girl sat down with them.

"He'll be along presently." Sango stated with a vicious smirk.

Inu shook his head. "I'll go get him."

Kagome looked at Sango. Sango looked at Kagome.

"So," Kagome cleared her throat. "Is there something between you and Miroku I should know about?"

"What?" Sango screeched. "Why do you say that?" Her voice was abnormally high and Kagome raised an elegant eyebrow.

"I can read people Sango." She stared at the older girl. "And I can tell. Don't worry though. You've got dibs and I don't go after men that are spoken for." Kagome sighed. "He _is_ really cute though. You're so lucky."

"Why would you say that?" The girl looked around anywhere but in front of her.

"I told you already. I can read people." She looked away, thinking of her boyfriend and the bastard before him. "Most people anyway. And it looks like he's had dibs on you for a while."

Sango's head flipped to the front. "Wha-?"

"Found him." Inuyasha called, interrupting their little conversation.

"Thank God." Kagome said. She tilted her head. "Is he alright?"

Miroku swung his head to an upright position. "Juz figh."

"He's always like this after Sango gets a hold of him."

"What?" Kagome was confused.

"Yep." Inuyasha propped Miroku in his seat. "He gropes, she punches. It's their thing."

The girl's eyes brightened. "Oh, I see." She smiled at Sango as the bassist blushed.

A slight figure approached the table. "Hello. My name is Shippou and I'll be your waiter for the evening. Can I get you started with something to drink?"

"Aren't you a little young to be working here?" Inuyasha asked.

"Hardly. I'm probably older than you." The russet haired teen said. Then added quietly so only a youkai could hear, "Puppy."

Inuyasha was shocked for a moment. Then he took a closer look and sniffed delicately.

"It's alright guys." Kagome assured them. "I'll have the usual Shippou."

"Sure thing Kagome." He wrote down her order on his note pad. "And for the rest of you?"

Miroku and Sango weren't affected by his appearance. To them he looked like a regular teen. But Inuyasha saw he was a very little, and very young, kitsune. With apprehension he said, "I'll have a lager."

"I need to check your ID. Puppy." The kit smirked.

Inu growled and got out his wallet. He pulled the New York driver's license from it's sleeve and showed it to the brat.

"Okay. One Dr. Pepper and one lager." He scribbled. "And for you miss?"

"Make that two Dr. Peppers."

"And two lagers." Miroku said and showed the boy his ID.

"Okay. I'll have that for you right away." He tucked the pad in his apron and pulled the menus from under his arm. "While I'm getting that for you, might I suggest the Emperor's Lasagna or Red Hot Ribs? They're our specials for today."

"Thanks Shippou. I think we'll be okay." Kagome smiled at him.

Inuyasha growled. "What's the soup of the day?"

(AN: I have just managed to rhyme three sentences in a row. I'm so ashamed. u.u; )

**Afterwards**

Sango lurched into the backseat. "So full." She licked her lips for a lingering morsel of her hot ham and swiss club sub or the delicious hot fudge sundae. Finding none, she sighed. "So good."

Miroku chuckled as he sat down beside her. "Better have been. You ate half my brownie."

Sango let out a contented sigh and sunk deeper into her seat. "Oh, it was. It was."

Kagome and Inu joined them after Kagome said goodbye to Shippou. The kit didn't want Kagome to leave with Inuyasha, but said hanyou was very insistent. He didn't like how that brat was acting all possessive with Kagome. '_Damnit, I'm the only one that can have her._' His inner voice raged. He was so happy to get her out of that place he almost shouted in joy.

"Well." Kagome smiled in her rear-view mirror as she started the engine. "How was it?"

Sango groaned contentedly and rubbed her belly, happy that Kagome was driving much slower.

Miroku translated. "That means, 'It was so good I'm about to pop a button'." He chuckled as Sango grunted at him. "And that means, 'Thank you Kagome. Now leave Miroku, the most handsome man in the world, and I alone so I can kiss him to within an inch of his life'."

Sango lifted her hand to smack him, but he was too fast for her, dodging her swipes with a practiced ease. "Stay still Miroku. You know I can't move." He just laughed.

The two up front were grabbing their stomachs from the force of their guffaws. "Where to now Kagome?" Inuyasha wiped the tears from his eyes to look at her. She turned her brightest smile to him and his heart almost thudded out of his chest.

"I don't know." She tried to get feeling back in her cheeks while she struggled for breath. "I've lived here for a while, so it's all ordinary to me. Anywhere you guys would like to go?"

Miroku perked up. "The beach?"

"That's a little out of the way." Kagome grinned. "How about we play some pool."

Inu was shocked. Rock, cars, _and_ pool? He had to be dreaming. The only thing missing was-

"And then I know this great little cyber-café. The coffee sucks but they have an X-box wired to a big screen plasma TV. It's so cool. When you're playing Halo it's almost like you're really in the game. Total VR quality."

He must have just died and gone to heaven for there was an angel sitting next to him. "You like Halo?"

"Yeah. Best game out there. Not as good as Halo 2 though. That's one sequel that actually beat the original, in my book at least."

He gulped down his heart, trying to talk over his shyness. "Do you like any others?"

Kagome giggled at him. "Hell yeah! Final fantasy rules. Then there's the classics. Mario Brothers for one. I was so sad when Nintendo stopped making good ones and went to those stupid car racing Mario Brother's Crash, or whatever they're called, games. And I can't leave out Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, Soul Caliber, Tekken." She caught his look. "My little brother was nuts about fighting games. He made me play against him all the time."

"What about Atari?"

"Ah, vintage. Bad graphics and limited mobility, but how could you hate Pac-Man and Centipede?"

"I always liked Moon Lander."

"Yeah, but I could never figure out how to get that little ship to land on anything but the rocks."

"I could show you how." He looked up at her through his bangs. "We've got an adapter for all the oldies back home."

She smiled at him again. "I'd like that."

Sango smiled at Miroku, who was also listening intently to their conversation. "Finally! Now he won't make us play Mortal Combat with him. He always kicks my ass."

"That's only because you insist on being Jade." Miroku snickered.

"Shut up Johnny Cage."

He stuck his tongue out at her. "At least I know one special move. Not like some people."

She glared and gave him a raspberry, totally taking away the vehemence from her glower. "So. It's not like Kohaku ever drilled me on fighting games. Or any games for that matter."

"That's because he was always out playing with that damn sickle thing." Miroku shuddered. "Gave me the creeps."

Sango's eye twitched. "Are you saying my little brother was creepy?"

"No way. Never." He waved his hands in front of his face, trying to soothe her sisterly rage. "It's just that he could take off my head and I would never know." His eyes darkened and leered at her. "Not like you with that boomerang. Got me so hot I almost had to strip."

Sango spluttered and blushed.

"Drop it Miroku." Inuyasha called from the front.

Kagome glanced at the hanyou as she pulled into 'Cue Stick'. "What are they talking about?" She killed the engine.

Inuyasha sighed and climbed out. "Sango's dad was really strict. His entire family came over from Japan about a hundred and fifty years ago." He stretched with a groan, giving Kagome a peek at his toned abs. She suddenly lost her breath. "Back then, they all trained from birth to hunt youkai." Kagome tilted her head, eyes curious. "Surely you know about Japanese youkai. You did say you came from there, right?"

"Well yes. Of course. But I didn't think that they were still around."

Inuyasha coughed. "Yeah. The youkai are gone but the exterminators became Special Ops in the military and shit. Her dad was one of them, just like his dad, and his dad before him, and his granddad before him." He petered off pathetically.

Kagome thought that sounded a bit suspicious but said nothing. "I see. So her father made his children follow in the family footsteps?"

"Yeah." He smiled, thinking she'd bought it. "Sango specialized in this huge boomerang called 'Hiraikotsu'. She named her bass after it actually."

"Cool."

"Very." Miroku piped up behind them. "You should've seen her training. So hot. Only saw it once, but it's something I'll never forget." He smiled and turned to Sango. "Which reminds me. Do you think Hiten will let you wear that outfit next time we're on tour?"

"Shut UP Miroku!" Sango clobbered him and walked briskly into the pool hall while the other two stared after her and the carnage she left behind.

**Much later that night**

Kagome followed the group into the hotel lobby after two hours of pool and drinks and another four hours of Halo and more drinks at 'Elegance Gentleman's Club'. Miroku's suggestion. It did not go well for him……

She was feeling slightly tipsy which was the ONLY reason she let Inuyasha drive her baby this far without killing him.

"I can drive home jiz fine Inuyasha." Kagome hiccupped. "Really."

He held her waist and wrapped one of her arms around him. "No you can't. Have you ever even _been _to a bar before?"

"Of course I have. I am twenty-three you know."

"So you say." He hobbled behind the other two. "But I bet that was the first time you tried Everclear, wasn't it?"

"Maybe." She let out a long puff of air and wiped the mystery sweat from her brow. "Where are you taking me?"

"You're bunking with Sango for the night. After you've gotten over this, _then _you can drive back. Not before."

"Fine." She sagged against him. "But only because you won't leave me alone."

He smiled. She was the prettiest drunk he'd ever seen. "Okay, think that if you must."

"I will." She looked up from the floor. The passing tiles were making her dizzy. "Where did Sango and Miroku go?"

"Hmm?" Inuyasha looked away from her flushed face and tried to focus ahead of him. "Guess they already caught the elevator up. Sango wasn't in much better shape than you."

"Aren't you afraid Miroku will try to pull something?"

"No way. He might be a pervert, but he _is _a gentleman. She's been wasted before and all he's ever done is tuck her in."

"Aw. That's so sweet." Kagome smiled. "I wish someone would do that for me."

Inuyasha softly smiled at her. "Maybe one day someone will." His eyes fixed on a spot ahead of them. _'I would. If you'll let me.'_

"I hope so." She stumbled onto the elevator. "But my luck with men sucks."

Inuyasha punched the button for the twelfth floor. "I noticed."

She laughed. "Yeah." Distracted by a hint of his red tongue slipping out and wetting his lips, she lost her train of thought. They glistened in the dim florescent light, so full and pink. She wanted to eat them up. At that moment, her dream of him came back to haunt her. "But maybe I can turn that around."

"Really." He looked at her. "How do you figu-" She cut him off with a world-shaking, sparks flying, fireworks before his eyes, passion-filled kiss.

Her lips glided across his before pulling his lower lip between hers and sucking it. Her tongue twisted, lapping at it's treasure, sending chills of pleasure down his spine. He was shocked for a moment before giving in to her caress with a groan. She pushed her breasts tighter to his chest and stood on tip-toes, trying to take control. He let her. She twisted her small hands in his silky hair and plunged her tongue into his mouth, pricking the teasing muscle on a hidden fang, but not noticing. He savored her blood, coppery and sweet on his taste buds, and growled low in his chest. His youki surged up and took control of him.

Inuyasha grabbed her thighs and pulled her high against him. She straddled his hips and was held tight against the side of the elevator. He delved deep into her mouth, relishing in the honey beneath her tongue and slowly realizing that she tasted faintly of alcohol. _'Shit.' _His youki receded enough for him to gain lucidity with that knowledge.

Reluctantly, he let go of her legs and she slid down his body to the floor. She held on, mainly to stay standing, as he broke the kiss.

"Kagome, you're drunk." He gasped, trying to catch his breath.

"No I'm not." She attempted to nibble on his ear, but only got his neck.

His disguise began to waver under the heat of his fervor, but with an iron-hard resolve, he kept it in place. Whimpering under her onslaught, only one thought came to mind: This was sheer torture.

"Yes you are." Catching a whiff of an intent claim from that damn wolf on her neck, he clenched his jaw and fists. "And you have a…..boyfriend." The word tasted like sand in his mouth as he spit it out.

"I do?" She distractedly asked from his collarbone.

"Yes." His nose found it's way to her hair. The lilac shampoo washed over him while her vanilla perfume, spiced with the faint musk of woman, caused a stirring of his youkai once again. He gasped at feeling her smooth fingers grazing his nipple in circles through the thin fabric of his Ramones t-shirt. "What are you doing?"

"Am I makin you horny baby?" Kagome attempted Austin Powers but failed miserably.

Inuyasha chuckled. "Yes."

"Mmmm." She moaned. "Then maybe you should lean down here and show me how much."

There are very few moments in a man's life when he's faced with a moral dilemma. This was one of those moments. Kiss her and fool himself into thinking she actually liked him? Or be the bigger man and stop it before it started? But he was just a hanyou bastard, as his brother loved to remind him, and only had so much willpower. His head drifted towards her.

There was a ding overhead announcing that the door was about to open and his thoughts were broken. He never really understood how one could be 'saved by the bell' until now.

"Come on Kagome." He scooped her up and held her to his chest. Then he walked through the doors only to see Sango and Miroku stumbling down the hall. "Am I the only one that didn't get drunk?"

Miroku looked blearily over his shoulder. "You're the only one with youkai blood." He hiccupped. "Oh, hi Kagome. Didn't see you there." He quickly sobered up with eyes the size of saucers.

Inuyasha's golden orbs were panicked. He looked down to see her sleeping in his arms. "Thank God she's asleep." He raised glowing eyes to the monk. "You're so fuckin' lucky bouzu."

Miroku laughed nervously and helped Sango back up when she started slipping to the floor.

The boys made it to Sango's room and put the girls in the queen size bed. Sango crashed as soon as her head hit the pillow. There was plenty of room for two grown women. Inuyasha tucked Kagome's hair behind her ear and Miroku kissed Sango's forehead. Both girls sighed in their sleep and turned onto their sides.

The men closed the door behind them and walked across the hall to their own room. Stripping quickly to his red boxers, Inuyasha looked through Miroku's stuff for his 'special box'.

"Monk! Where the hell did you put it?"

"Mwha?" Miroku called from the bathroom around a mouthful of toothpaste.

"My song. The one I kept throwing away."

"Im da dafe."

"What?"

"Im da dafe!"

"Huh?"

Miroku spit. "In the goddamn safe!"

Inuyasha walked to the door and stared at him. "Why didn't you say so?"

The monk growled. "I did."

"Oh. Well why would you put it in there?"

"Because." He stated, like that was all the reason needed in the world, and rinsed out his toothbrush.

"Whatever." Inuyasha opened the closet door and pushed the hotel's hangers out of the way.

"Why do you need it?" Miroku walked over and typed in the code. The door sprang free and he pulled out his box.

"Because I just figured out my chorus."

"Really? That's great." He tried as hard as he could to hide the contents of the his 'Shoebox of Goodies' while getting out the pen-written paper and eyeliner-ed scrap. "What is it?"

"_I'd eat you alive_." He said with pride.

Miroku stared unblinkingly at his best friend. "Are you serious?"

"Yes." Inuyasha replied hesitantly.

"And that's it?"

"Yeah. So?"

"What happened in _your _elevator?"

"MYOB!" Inuyasha yelled and grabbed the scraps.

Miroku chuckled. "Okay, okay." He watched Inu grab his acoustic. "So you're finally gonna put the words to music, eh?"

"Might as well." He grabbed the pick and set the papers before him. "Not like we have a choice. Gotta write thirteen songs in two months _and _save enough time to record them."

"I still say that sucks."

"Yeah, but whacha gonna do?" He tried to find a melody to go with the words he's been writing off and on for almost two months.

"Go for it." The monk crawled under the covers in only the purple PJ bottoms that Sango gave him for his birthday last year. "Just don't keep me up all night."

"Sure thing." Inu smiled. "Elizabeth."

Miroku grumped and flipped onto his stomach, listening to the hanyou laugh.

**Helloooo everybody! Betcha didn't think I could write one this fast huh? It might not be stellar, but I wrote it in two days which is a personal record for me. Thank you for your concern about my kitten. He's such a handful. And for affirming that you _do _like my choice in music and all the songs that made their way into my fic. You guys _ROCK_! You're so awesome. I'd forgotten how great you guys are. Now you see what happens when you inspire me? I smiled so big I almost hurt my face.**

**Silver Rain Drops: You made me soooo freakin happy reviewing every chapter like that. Lets me know what you like so I can put more in it to make _you _happy.**

**Tawdry Lassie: Glad to see you back. And glad that you still like it. 'I got a girl' was recorded by Tripping Daisies.**

**Tetsusaiga: Dude, you're the only dude I know of that's reading this. I like to know that. Tells me I'm reaching a broader demographic. And I _will _keep writing if you keep reviewing.**

**Also, I went back and fixed some typos that a fan brought to my attention. I hope I got all of them. And yes I did mean to spell it 'misses'. I know it's a plural, but if you've ever listened to the song you know that's the way Fred sings it. And I have to say this about my spelling of the names. I'm taking creative liberties with that. I know that's not how you'd spell it if you were being picky about Japanese pronunciation/Manga version vs. Anime version, and I know that I'm mixing some spelling of names with not-correct spelling of names. But when I see Kikyo with a 'u' on the end of it, it makes me think of a big butt and I know she doesn't have a big butt. Kikyou….. _shudder_**

**All those U's make the names seem to drag out on the long names but they fill in space for shorter names. In English, Totosai and Toutousai sound the same. And I know that Souta sounds the same as Sota so I seem to be contradicting myself, but the version of the name I write is how I see it best fitting the character. Like Sota seems too short for such a great little boy, but Toutousai seems much to long for a simple old man. _cringes_ Do you get what I'm saying? I'm not hating on you or anything, I'm just trying to put my thoughts into writing. And it's hard to do. I'm sorry if I'm coming off as a bitch or pissed because I'm neither of those things.**

**I appreciate you pointing that out. Most of the time when I'm proofreading, I miss so much of that stuff because I'm the writer and I'm more concerned about syntax and continuity. I _need _someone to point that out. But maybe not in a review. I put my e-mail on display for that kind of thing. And if anyone has a penchant for editing and would like to read it over, and won't mind if it's months between when I complete chapters, e-mail me, or tell me in a review.**

**And so:**

**For all that have been with me from the beginning (over six months ago - u.u; ) and for all the newcomers I've acquired: I hope you like this.**

**R&R and thank you so very, very much for doing it.**


	7. I'm sorry So sorry

**Disclaimer: All the King's Horses and all the King's men, couldn't obtain the rights to this anime for me. Or to 'The Killers'. Shucks.**

**Chapter 7: I'm sorry. So sorry.**

Kagome woke to the morning birds chirping outside the window. She groaned. They were giving her a headache. But she knew she had to get up. What would Kikyo need today? Back rub? Pedicure? She shuddered at the thought. Her eyelids fluttered and she attempted a stretch. A grunt next to her was heard as her arm came in contact with a hard surface.

"Get your finger outta my eye!" Sango moaned.

She retracted her finger. "Sorry." The memories rushed at her. Her jumping Inuyasha. Inuyasha moaning in her ear. Her kissing him with a passion she'd never felt before. Kagome sat straight up. "Oh my God. I am so stupid!"

Sango joined her in sitting up. "Why?" She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, flicking it off of her finger, and yawning loudly.

"I molested Inuyasha." Kagome groaned.

"What!" She was wide awake now. "Why? When? How? What were you thinking?"

"Nothing! That's the problem." She gasped. "Oh my god. What's Kouga gonna say when he finds out?"

Sango whistled and remarked quietly to herself. "That's a conversation I don't want to hear. He could probably smell Dog-boy on you from a mile away."

The younger girl sighed. "Everyone keeps hinting at something and I don't like being left out of the loop."

Sango looked shocked. "Did I say something?"

"Uh yeah!" Kagome stared at her. "All of you, at one time or another, have made remarks about heightened senses and stuff. I want to know what's going on."

Sango looked flustered. "Well, um, you see-"

"What's going on?" Inuyasha burst bleary-eyed into the room after hearing all the commotion across the hall.

Sango looked at him guiltily. "That's exactly what Kagome wants to know. Hehe."

Kagome got off the bed and stood to her full height, trying not to stare at his chiseled chest, and looked him in his golden eyes. "I want to know what the big secret is with everybody. Smelling and hearing things no ordinary human can. Youkai exterminators with shady history, no offense Sango."

"None taken."

"And everybody pussy footing around me like I'm a child that doesn't have the guts to know the truth." She poked him in the chest. "I want to know, and I want you to tell me. Now."

Inuyasha looked at her with her rumpled hair, blazing caramel eyes, and her sleep-pouty lips, defiantly shaped into a hard, straight line, daring him to kiss her again. His groin tightened. _'Damnit.'_

"There's nothin' goin' on bitch." He turned to stomp out of the room. "It's a figment of your imagination."

"Oh really?" Her voice was cutting as a razor. "Then how come you have dog-ears?"

Inuyasha looked at himself in the mirror and slowly turned around. "What did you say?"

She gulped. Maybe she _was _imagining it. Her family's warnings came back to her. She blamed her slip on last night's drunken revels. And her hangover. "Y-you heard me." She stepped forward, praying they wouldn't think her a nutcase. "The dog ears. I see fangs and claws too. Just what are you?"

Sango sighed. "Looks like she has the sight."

Inuyasha shook his head and gave a short laugh. "Yeah. Guess she does."

Kagome looked at the two like _they _were the crazy ones. "What are you talking about now?"

"Wait a minute." Inuyasha said and went across the hall. He opened the door and dragged Miroku from bed.

"Hey. Whoa. What's going on?" The monk called sleepily.

"We need you to explain something to Kagome." Inuyasha released his armpits and let him stand on his own two feet. "We think she has the sight."

"She has what?" He shook the last bits of sleep from his head. "I thought only people with strong spiritual powers had the sight. She doesn't have an aura of anything mystic around her. How can she have it?"

"I don't know, but somehow she does."

"Okay. Let me get a shirt on first." He slipped on his favorite 'Role-Model' tee. "Don't you think you should put some extra clothes on?" He looked at the hanyou wearing only boxers.

"Naw. I'm good." Miroku shook his head and followed the hanyou across the hall.

The boys closed the door behind them and joined Sango on her bed while Kagome paced the floor, praying to God she would finally get the answers to why she could see the things she could.

Miroku cleared his throat. "Kagome?"

She stopped pacing and faced him. "Tell me I'm not crazy. Please."

Her voice begged him to tell the truth, but not as much as her eyes. If there was one thing Inuyasha hated more than his brother, it was to see a woman cry. And Kagome looked like she was about to let loose a flood. He stood from the bed and hugged her, not caring that the others saw, and let his disguise fall.

Kagome gasped when she noticed. "So I'm not crazy. It was just a haze before, but now I can see it clearly."

"You're not crazy Kagome." Miroku assured her. "Two hundred years ago, youkai found a way to make themselves appear human. They blended in with us as camouflage. When the time was right, they were going to annihilate humanity. And have a huge party doing it." Kagome looked horrified. "Think of The Terminator, only worse."

"Oh my God." She put her hand to her mouth. "Are they still going to do that?"

"No." Inuyasha let go of her and sat back down on the bed. "They saw how powerful the human spirit was and decided to co-exist with them."

"Oh my God."

"Is that all you can say?" Sango laughed.

"I'm in shock. Everything I thought I knew." She shook her head. "So, you're a youkai?" She asked Inuyasha.

"Half." He grunted.

"Okay." She drawled at his gruff answer. "So what's going on? How many youkai are actually out there?" She gasped. "Does that mean Sango's family are still slaying demons? Is that why her dad made them train so hard? Oh my God. Sango, I'm so sorry. All that time put in to master a weapon you might have to use against your best friend someday."

"Hey!" The friend in question shouted.

"And Miroku! How do you know all this? Well, duh, you're best friends with a half demon. Can you see all this too? And what does that make me? Some kind of psycho demon seer, that's what." She gasped again. " Oh my God. That means all these things I've seen everywhere I go. Those weren't figments of my imagination. Those were demons. Serving my food. Driving my plane and cab and the limo. On TV. Even kissing me. Oh my God! Kouga's one too isn't he? And Shippou! And your manager. And that weird lawyer guy that represented Grandpa when that bitch sued the shrine."

"Your family owns a shrine?" Inuyasha stuttered. It was the only word he'd been able to get in with the girl's hysterical yammering.

"Yes." She sobbed and sank to the ground.

"H-hey!" Inuyasha reached for her, but wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. "Stop crying!" He yelled instead.

"Would you have me laugh then!" She yelled. "My whole life's been a lie."

"Kagome." Miroku quietly said. "Calm down. You asked a lot of questions in those thirty seconds. Do you want answers?"

"Yes." She sniffled. "But why are you sharing all this with me? How can you trust me not to say anything?"

Sango looked at her softly. "We can read people too Kagome-chan." Kagome smiled at the taijiya. "Besides, if you told anyone they'd put you in a home." She giggled at the girl's look.

"Thanks a lot Sango." Kagome said sarcastically and stood back up. "Makes me feel so much better about all this."

"That's my job." Sango said proudly and walked her to the bathroom. "Let's all get cleaned up and talk about this over breakfast. I'm starved." Her stomach growled, punctuating that statement.

"Even after all you ate last night?" Miroku smiled.

She threw a pillow at him.

**Thirty minutes later**

"Ah." Kagome sighed, rubbing the towel against her wet hair. "I can't remember what I was so freaked about earlier."

Sango popped up next to her. "Youkai. Walking among us." She took her underwear into the bathroom. "Like the undead. Whooooooooooooooo." She giggled at Kagome's shell-shocked expression.

"Thanks a lot Sango." Kagome called as the door shut.

"My pleasure." Sango yelled. "Jeez. I think that's beginning to be my new catch phrase." She mumbled and pulled aside the curtain. "Walkin' down the street, 'Hey, thanks a lot Sango', 'No problem'; 'Thanks a lot Sango', 'Glad to do it'. Honestly….._mutter mutter_."

Kagome sat on the bed to think. The water running pounded in her ears while she reviewed everything she'd learned today. And everything that happened last night.

_'What was I thinking? Just jumping him like that? I mean, sure, he's sexy. Okay, understatement of the century. But he's also an egomaniacal jerk. And then there's Kouga.' _She sighed. _'I haven't felt that in a kiss with him…..ever! What does that mean! Maybe I should just break up with him. It's not fair to drag him along like that. He's been nothing but faithful and I went and did _that_. When was the last time I even _felt _like saying that I loved him back? I can't remember.'_

She clapped her hands together. "That settles it. As soon as I figure all this out, I'm leaving Kouga."

"Good to know." Inuyasha said from the doorway. Seeing her face, he said something he already knew the answer to. Just to break the ice. "Where's Sango?"

After getting over the shock that he'd overheard her internal dialogue, she replied. "She's still in the shower." She sighed. "Listen Inuyasha, what happened last night-"

"Don't worry about it." He smirked. "You can't help it if my sexy body was too much for ya."

Kagome growled impressively for a human. "You're such a JERK!"

The hanyou watched forlornly as she ran from the room. He sighed and sat on the bed. _'Why does she always do that? And why do I act like that around her? She's not like other people.' _He grunted and got off the bed. _'She deserves better treatment than that. I gotta find her.' _He put the spell back in place and walked briskly from the room.

**Meanwhile**

Sango turned off the water and stepped from the shower. She dried off and wrapped the towel around her sleek body. The toothpaste was hot, almost overly minty, but she braved it. She flipped her head over and removed the towel from her naked skin to wrap around her hair, sweeping the excess cloth behind her back.

"Is anyone in here?" The door flew open.

"Miroku!" She attempted to cover herself with her hands. "Get OUT!" Her cinnamon eyes, raging red in fury, found the closest hard object. Her brush.

He walked out of the room holding his hand over the forming lump. "It was worth the pain."

**Another meanwhile**

Inuyasha followed Kagome's scent down the hall. He caught up with her at the elevators.

"Returning to the scene of the crime, eh?" Inuyasha grinned on the outside, but cringed on the inside. _'Idiot.'_

Kagome grunted noncommittally and pushed the down button. He could faintly hear her chanting, "Come on. Come on. Come on."

"Kagome, don't take it personally. Lately I've just been really-" He hung his head. "I just don't get many girls that know my secret." She looked at him oddly. "Let me rephrase that. There's only three women that have ever known: my mom, Sango, and you."

"I'm touched." The elevator dinged. "Really I am. But I need to leave. For my sanity." She got in.

"Wait." He held open the doors when they tried to close. "Just come back to the room and we'll talk. You still have all your questions that need answered. And I bet you're hungry." His eyes held hope, pleading with her in a big, dewy way that she couldn't resist.

She stepped off the elevator. "Fine. I'll stay. But just until breakfast is over."

He genuinely smiled and it took her breath away. "Great."

They were greeted at the door by a fighting mad taijiya, in her bra and panties, glaring over her unconscious monk.

Sango looked up from her 'morning exercise'. "What?"

The two shook their heads. Inu dragged the letch in and the girls sat on the bed.

Sango pulled some clothes from her suitcase and put them on. Inuyasha and Kagome weren't distressing enough for her shyness. "So, room service? Or do you want to go somewhere for breakfast?"

Inuyasha looked meaningfully at the man on the floor. "I'd say eating in would be a wise decision."

The girl nervously laughed and scratched the back of her head. "R-right." She dragged the bulky phone over and dialed the number. "Room service? Yes, this is room 1252. Are you still serving breakfast? Really? All day? Cool. I'd like pancakes and bacon with butter and blueberry syrup. No blueberry? Maple's okay then. Kagome?"

"Um, what do they have?" Sango handed her the menu from the drawer. "Okay. A ham and cheese omelet with smoked sausage."

"Hmm, a heart attack waiting to happen." Inuyasha commented.

"Shut up."

Her grouchiness had no effect on his good mood. "Pork chop and eggs, sunny side up, and a short stack. With ramen on the side."

"Who's the pig now?" He just grinned like the Cheshire cat.

Sango put in their orders. "No ramen, Inu."

He stared at her. "What kind of kitchen doesn't have ramen!"

"A motel kitchen."

"Fine." He grumped. "I guess I can go without ramen today."

"Good." She looked at her watch. "He should be awake by the time they get here. What do you think Miroku would want?"

Inu smirked and said in his most lecherous tone. "You know he likes anything with _eggs_."

Kagome blushed. Sango laughed. "Yeah. As long as they're _well rounded _eggs."

Now it was Inuyasha's turn to laugh. Kagome was still blushing. "Come on guys. He's your friend."

"And he would be laughing with us, if his favorite _chick _hadn't knocked him out."

"Shut up Inuyasha." Sango blushed and turned back to the phone. "And a Fiesta omelet with dry toast. Ooh, and four Dr. Peppers. Yeah. Put it on our bill. Okay. Bye." She hung up.

"How long did they say it would take?" Kagome asked.

"Well, it was a pretty big order and it sounded really busy on the other end. He said at least twenty minutes and I'd have to agree with that."

"Perfect." Inuyasha grumbled.

Sango set the phone back on its desk and looked at the other girl. "So, lots of things I'm sure you'd like to know huh?"

Kagome looked at her. "Not really. That explanation really cleared up quite a few things actually. Momma always said not to speak of it, but I've been seeing this stuff since I was two."

"I bet that was a burden." Sango put a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. But it's all better now." She actually smiled. "Everything makes sense."

Inuyasha raised a brow. "Like what?"

"Like why Kouga was always so weird and sniffing around my room and stuff. And why this one group in school was so mean to everyone. And-"

"Pancakes!" Miroku sat up quickly.

"Fiesta omelet." Sango patted his head.

"Good enough." He smiled. "I do love my eggs." Inu coughed and Kagome's blush returned. Sango pushed on one of his lumps. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Slipped."

He grunted. "So what are we talking about?"

"Nothing." Inuyasha said.

"There's gotta be something." He looked around their small circle. "Any questions Kagome?"

"Actually, I just thought of one." She looked at Inuyasha. "You're half?"

His face settled in a frown. "Yes."

"Half what?"

"Half human and half dog youkai." Sango answered for him. "His mom was human but his dad was demon."

"Stow it Sango." Inuyasha didn't like to speak of his heritage almost as much as he hated preppy clothes. They chaffed.

The girl just rolled her eyes. "Sorry. Forgot. Taboo and all that."

Kagome looked between them. "So, Miroku?"

"Yes."

"Since we've established that there are demons in America, maybe you can tell me how they got here."

"That's an interesting story." He cleared his throat and sat a little straighter. "Youkai are all over the world. They spread across the globe in the same manner that humans did. Consequently, most cultures have myths involving them in some form. Gods, evil spirits, fairy tale creatures, that sort of thing. The biggest difference between humans and demons, aside from looks, is that youkai have the stamina to travel long distances in a short time. You see, they advanced faster than human civilization. While we were all still rolling around in the mud wearing loincloths, they had a system of government. It was very Middle Ages though. Lords and fiefs and all that shit, but, and here's the kicker, they kept in touch overseas. In fact Inuyasha's father is, or was, a youkai lord."

Kagome's head swam. "Was?"

"He died thirty years ago."

The girl gaped. "Thirty years?" She turned to Inuyasha. "So how old are you?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Fifty three."

"Next month." Sango added. "Can you believe it? He's almost old enough to be my grandfather."

"Thanks a lot Sango." Inuyasha muttered.

Sango sighed and shook her head. "Once again."

"Do you have any more questions Kagome?" Miroku interrupted.

"Just one." She looked down. "How many kinds of youkai are there? Because every one I've seen has had different characteristics. For example, Kouga has a long tail, Shippou has a fluffy tail, your manager has no tail, Inuyasha has dog-ears, others have scales or horns, and Gramp's lawyer had this huge fluffy thing over his shoulder. But almost all of you have fangs and claws and pointy ears."

"Did you say a huge fluffy thing over the lawyer's shoulder?" Miroku looked at her closely.

"Yeah."

"Did it happen to be white?"

"Yes." Kagome said hesitantly.

"Were there markings on his face?"

"Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Because if he has a crescent moon on his forehead, that's most likely Inuyasha's older brother. Sesshomaru."

Kagome gasped. "He did! Oh my god, that's your brother?"

Inuyasha grumbled. "Yes. But what was he doing in Japan?"

"He's a friend of my grandfather."

"What!"

"Yeah. He reminded Gramps of this soldier he knew in the war when he stopped at the shrine, and Gramps took to him."

"He probably _was _the soldier from the war." Miroku said under his breath. "Ow, Sango." He rubbed his arm.

"Shut it." Sango warned. "Kagome's telling a story."

"No I'm not. That was it."

"Oh." She looked down at Miroku. "Sorry then."

The monk growled. "To answer your question. Youkai come in all species. From fish to lizards to dogs."

"Oh." She sighed. "Do you know what kind Kouga is?"

"Wolf." Inuyasha grunted.

"But that's like a wild animal."

"Probably why he's so stupid."

"Inuyasha." Sango said harshly. "He's not exactly stupid. Just mentally challenged."

"Retarded you mean." Inuyasha stood up and started to walk to the bathroom. He had yet to take his morning piss. "And he's way too old for her."

"How old is he?" Kagome was curious.

"Over a hundred, that's for sure." He grunted.

Kagome fainted.

Inuyasha ran over to her as soon as he heard the thump. "Damnit."

"Inuyasha, what did you do?" Sango ran over too.

"Nothing." He yelled. "I think she's just in shock."

"Well do something! Wake her up!"

"How?"

"I don't know. Just do it."

He rolled his eyes. Women are so irrational. But he did need her to wake up. He considered his options. Splash her with cold water? That could just shock her more. Shake her? But that could cause _some_ kind of damage. Even a concussion. 'Kiss her.' His inner voice reasoned. 'What?' He called back. 'Kiss her. She's yours.' The voice disappeared. He had to listen to his gut. He bent his head and gently touched her lips. They were just as soft as he remembered.

Kagome moaned and opened her eyes. She quickly sat up, parting her lips from the hanyou.

"What are you doing!"

He spluttered. "You fainted! I was just waking you up!"

"BY KISSING ME!"

"Shut up bitch! It was the only thing that wouldn't hurt you!"

"Bitch! I'll show you bitch." Her hand made contact with his face. She shook the sting from the hand and hurried out of the room.

Kagome made a dash for the elevators. They opened the first time she pushed the button.

"Wait Kagome!"She heard him call. But it was too late. She was already onboard and riding down. Her car was waiting right where he'd parked it. She sprinted across the parking lot and unlocked the door as fast as she could. When she got in, she started the engine and slammed on the gas. Then he dropped on the hood.

She screeched to a halt. "What are you doing?"

"Get out of the car."

"No."

"Get _out _of the car."

"Give me one good reason."

He couldn't think of one.

"That's what I thought." She pressed the gas again. "Good bye Inuyasha."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going home you stupid JERK!" She braked quickly.

He fell off the hood and watched her speed away. Sango and Miroku came running out.

"Where's she going?" Sango asked.

"Home."

Miroku doubled over and panted. "I need to get in shape." He looked at the car screeching out of the parking lot. "What happened?"

"She's going home." Sango filled him in.

"Are you going after her Inuyasha?"

"Keh. Why would I want to go after _that_?"

"Because you _love _her." The two said together and started making kissy noises.

"Shut up! I do not."

"Then why'd you kiss her?" They said in unison. "Stop it!"

"You _both _shouldstop it. Come on guys. Don't be like that."

They turned their backs on each other.

"I only kissed her to wake her up." He admitted quietly.

The two raised their brows. "And because you wanted to." They looked at each other. "I said stop it!"

The hanyou huffed and walked back to the hotel, leaving them to their wrestling on the pavement.

_'Why did I kiss her?' _He questioned himself.

_'Because you wanted to.' _The gruff voice spoke up again.

_'Shut up! I did not!'_

_'Don't kid yourself. Heh. I am yourself.'_

_'Whatever. Can't you just disappear again?'_

_'I will when I'm good and ready.'_

He grunted. _'Why do you always pop up like that when I don't need you. Can't you show up when I actually _do_ need you to?'_

_'I did today.'_

_'I didn't need you!'_

_'Then what would you have done to wake her up?'_

_'I don't know. She really didn't need waking up. Sango was just freaking out. She would have un-fainted. Eventually.'_

_'Yeah. But you were worried about her.'_

_'I was not!'_

_'There you go again.'_

_'Shut up!'_

_'Okay. I'm ready.' _The voice left him again.

_'Coward.'_

_'Be quiet.' _It popped back.

_'Keh.'_

He made it to his room. "I'm such a loser." The hanyou muttered and looked over the balcony. Sango and Miroku were still wrestling in the middle of the parking lot. A car swerved to miss them. It crashed. They stopped and looked up.

"See what you made me do?" They asked each other.

Sango growled and got up. "You're so immature."

"Hey! You're the one that jumped me!"

She screamed out loud in frustration then sighed. "You're an idiot." The girl walked off. He ran to catch her.

"Ah, Sango. I've always wanted to hear you scream." He smiled boyishly.

She slapped him. "Why are you always so…..so-"

"Charming? Handsome?" He offered.

"Perverted!" She stomped off.

He sighed at her back. "Because you're so special to me. I don't want to hurt you." With a heavy heart, he walked back to the hotel.

The driver stumbled from his wrecked Mitsubishi and stared at the totaled Chrysler he crashed into. "Hey!" He called after them. "Look what you made me do! Who's going to pay for this!"

The two cheesed it.

Inuyasha turned away from the banister. He sat down and pulled out some paper. The song he'd written the night before had yet to be completed. The first two verses had their melody and a chorus, but it didn't feel like it was finished. He wrote another verse after it.

_'I'm sorry. So sorry. Damn you're so hot. Your beauty, is so vain. It drives me. Yes, it drives me. Absolutely insane.'_

He thought of a possible melody. "This is going to sound nothing like the rest of the song. Should I keep it in?" He crumpled it up and tossed it in the trash across the room. "No."

Miroku crashed in. "Inuyasha?"

"What?"

The monk sighed. "I thing my nipples are purple." He collapsed, twitching, on the bed.

Inuyasha rubbed his hand over his face.

"Room service." A lazy voice called from across the hall.

**Three hours later**

Inuyasha was taking a nap after finishing both Kagome's and his own breakfast. Usually he had no dreams. He didn't sleep deep enough. Unless you counted that one about Kagome in his shower. But this dream was nothing like that.

In it, Kagome had gone to a hotel. Someone was waiting for her. They went into a room. He was there, watching the entire thing through the window. It made him want to retch. They started to get hot and heavy. Mercifully, he woke up.

He clutched his chest and sat straight up. Miroku and Sango looked up from the floor where they were playing cards.

"Go fish." Miroku said absently. "What's wrong?"

Inuyasha was trying to fill his lungs with much needed air. "Bad, bad, badbadbad dream."

"What was it?" Sango asked as she drew a card.

He shook his head. "Can't talk about it." He got off the bed and looked around the room. "Where is that damn notepad!"

"On the table." Miroku said while scouring his cards for a possible match. "Got any twos?"

"Go fish." Sango said. "Need to write it out huh?"

"Yeah." He found the paper.

"Will it make a good song?" Miroku asked.

"Maybe. I'm not sure."

"Well, go for it. We'll be the judge of that." Sango looked at her hand. "Ten?"

Miroku groaned and handed it over. "I was going to ask you for that next."

"Sure you were." Sango placed the pair on the floor. "Got any sixes?"

"Go fish."

Inuyasha tuned them out. The dream was still killing him. Slowly. Would she really do that just because he kissed her? Can't be. She's not that kind of girl.

"Guys?" The two looked up. "I think it will make a good song." He said after he wrote out what he had dreamt.

"Let's see it." Miroku stood up and pulled his PJs out of his crack.

"Gross Miroku." Sango said from her vantage point. Which was right at butt level. She stood up.

"Look who's talking." He looked meaningfully at the hand behind her back.

"Hey! I had a chewy!"

"And I didn't!"

"People! We're talking about a song that takes us one step closer to a break."

The two looked sheepish and got out their instruments. "Sorry."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes when they glared at each other. "Oh grow up."

"Hey!" They glared at each other again.

The hanyou sighed. "Look. Hate to break up your little _thing_, but I've got a song just waiting to be written. So get over it."

"Fine."

"Let me see what you've got." Miroku held out his hand.

"Why do you get to see it first?" Sango asked.

"Because." He faltered. "I. I'm a guy."

"Oh please." She groaned. "What has that got to do with it?"

He lifted a brow. "If you don't know what guys dream about by now, Sango, you've got bigger problems than I thought."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, hurry up then."

He looked over what his friend had written. "I guess it's okay for your virgin eyes." He handed over the paper.

She grabbed it. "Spare me." The words pulled at her. "That was some dream. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Inuyasha was regretting even saying anything about it. "What do you guys think? Light-hearted? Dark? Rock? Punk? Metal?"

Miroku spoke up from his light drum tapping. "I was thinking sort of techno meets punk."

"I agree." Sango set down the paper and strummed a low note. "But if you're just saying that because of the music last night at that despicable 'club', I'm going to kill you."

Miroku laughed nervously.

"Can we pull off techno?" Inuyasha asked. "I mean, will our fans like it?"

Miroku smirked. "I think they'll like anything. As long as you sing it."

"Okay. Let's do this." Sango shouted and started plucking out a quick paced tune.

Thirty minutes later, with some additions from the group, they had the fifth song for their album.

"We need to get the recorder." Inuyasha said. "Where'd we put it?"

"I think it's in my room." Sango said and got up. "Be right back."

The boys waited for her return.

"So, what was up with this morning?" Miroku asked. "We tell her all we know and she runs off?"

"I don't think she ran off because of what we said." Inuyasha said quietly.

"Then why?"

"It's because I kissed her. Or she kissed me." He shook his head. "I don't know. It's difficult to explain."

"What happened last night? You were awfully affectionate then _and _this morning."

"She was drunk, remember?"

The monk nodded. "Through no fault of my own, I might add."

"You're the one that suggested that bar." The hanyou narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, but did I put the drinks in her hand?"

"No."

"As I said. It wasn't my fault that she thought a Long Island Iced Tea was just iced tea."

Inuyasha laughed slightly at that and said in a high voice. "This tea tastes funny."

Miroku cracked up. "I can still see her face." He did an imitation.

Now Inuyasha laughed long and loud.

"What are we laughing about?" Sango asked when she got in.

"Last night." Miroku said between giggles.

She glared at him. "Not about me I hope."

He stopped. "No Sango dearest. We would never laugh about you."

She nodded, still glaring. "Better not."

He rubbed the back of his head. "Trust me. I will never laugh at you again."

"Did you find it?" Inuyasha brought the conversation back on track.

"Yes." She pulled the recorder from behind her back. "It was hidden in my suitcase. Can you believe that? The old man must have went through my stuff to put it in there."

"Creepy." Both of her band mates agreed.

"Yep." She set it up. "Ready?"

The boys nodded and started playing. Inuyasha's distortion pedal added to the ambiance of the song. It turned out to be a dark punk song with a hint of techno.

_I'm coming outta my cage and I been doin' just fine_

_Gotta gotta be down because I want it all_

_It started out with a kiss how did it end up like this_

_It was only a kiss_

_It was only a kiss_

_Now I'm falling asleep_

_And she's calling a cab_

_While he's having a smoke_

_And she's taking a drag_

_Now they're going to bed_

_And my stomach is sick_

_And it's all in my head_

_But_

_She's touching his chest_

_Now_

_He takes off her dress_

_Now_

_Let_

_Me_

_Go_

_And I just can't look_

_It's killing me_

_And ta-king con-trol_

The chorus was slightly quicker, but just as sad. Inuyasha's mournful voice put his feelings to words.

_Jealousy_

_Turning Saints into the sea_

_Swimming through sick lullabies_

_Choking on your alibis_

_But it's just the price I pay_

_Destiny is calling me_

_Open up my eager eyes_

'_Cause I'm Mr. Brightside_

They made a transition to the original melody.

_I'm comin' outta my cage and I been doin' just fine_

_Gotta gotta be down because I want it all_

_It started out with a kiss_

_How did it end up like this_

_It was only a kiss_

_It was only a kiss_

_Now I'm falling asleep_

_And she's calling a cab_

_While he's having a smoke_

_And she's taking a drag_

_Now they're going to bed_

_And my stomach is sick_

_And it's all in my head_

_But_

_She's touching his chest_

_Now_

_He takes off her dress_

_Now_

_Let_

_Me_

_Go_

'_Cause I just can't look_

_It's killing me_

_And ta-king con-trol_

_Jealousy_

_Turning Saints into the sea_

_Swimming through sick lullabies_

_Choking on your alibis_

_But it's just the price I pay_

_Destiny is calling me_

_Open up my eager eyes_

'_Cause I'm Mr. Brightside_

Inuyasha let loose with his solo.

_I never_

_I never_

_I never-er-er_

_I never-er-er_

The song ended with three notes, descending down the arpeggio.

"That's pretty good." Miroku commented. "Maybe I should put some of my dreams to music."

"NO!" The other two shouted.

He sulked. "Why not?" They conveniently found other things to do around the room. "Hey! I'm talking here!"

"Hello kids!" Totosai called from the door. "Miss me?"

"Not really."

"Hn."

"What's with putting us in this crap hole?"

"What do you mean?"

Inuyasha started counting off on his fingers. "The pool, if you can even call it that, is unswimmable. The beds smell like piss and rutting. The showers have mold. And the food is inedible."

Miroku burped. "I think those eggs weren't really eggs."

"No. They were just rotten."

"Oh. That's why I feel like I need to puke." He ran to the bathroom.

"Not to mention," Sango added, "that Dr. Pepper didn't even taste like Dr. Pepper."

"I think it was generic. Like Dr. Thunder or something."

"Probably."

Miroku returned from his quick trip to the bathroom. "False alarm."

Totosai looked at all three. "Think of this as a halfway house."

"What?" The band asked their manager.

"This is just where the label put you while they were setting up their LA guest house." He stepped fully into the room. "That's what I've been doing all morning."

**Hello again! Nice to see you all. Thank you for your well wishes. Unfortunately, my birthday blew. I didn't even get a cake! And my best friend would rather work on his van than get me drunk. I told him off and now he's mad at me. Le sigh. Hope he gets over it soon.**

**And thank you for saying you liked my last chapter. The reason I didn't think it was one of my best was because I kept jumping around so much. There was a lot of detail that I left out. Like their dinner conversation. Or the fiasco at the strip club. Or hours upon hours of Halo. But I didn't think it was really important enough to bore you with, so I skipped it. I hope you like this one just as much. I missed an entire night's sleep to get it out as soon as possible. Then again, that might be a reason you won't like it….. _shrugs_**

**Christy Kay: My heart is sad, but I understand. I almost gave up on fanfiction a while back myself. Then I remembered how awesome it is. Hope you write for us again soon. And I changed from crispymuffin because that was my e-mail address and I thought I was typing _that_ in when I made my account here. Hey, I never said I was beautiful _and _smart. Haha. Muffin is my retarded nickname, in case you were wondering. Sad thing is, even my mom calls me Muffin. Man! Bad haircuts _really_ follow you around….. Hope it doesn't throw you off too much. ;)**

**Elena: Thank you _so_ much. You're the only one that sang to me! XD**

**Adam: Nice to hear from you again man! And 'De nada por el kudos!' Er. Whatever. My Spanish sucks.**

**Lyn: I'm going to review you when you write and start saying 'Write more' every time.  Thank you for the encouragement.**

**MisterYukimura: Not really sure where your name came from. I'd like to know though. And thank you for reviewing! Nice to see new faces in my inbox.**

**Silver Rain Drops: You always make me smile. Thank you. And you will see what happens with Kouga next chapter and what happened with Naraku either next chapter or the one after. Not sure which, since I haven't written them yet. **-.-;** Just rest happily in the knowledge that Inuyasha has some major butt kissing to do to get back on Kag's good side. Which…..I also haven't written yet…..**

**JLanimeluvr: I'm blushing. Thank you so much. And, if you notice, every time he writes part of that song, it's in the title. Why do you think I named chapter two 'Panties'? ;) Heh heh. Silly goose.**

**LoneWolfLink: I'm getting a big head from all your praise. But I love it! Thank you so much.**

**Tawdry Lassie: Thanks! 18 is the drinking age in the UK? Wow. I _have _to go there. And I say happy 18th in November to you. I'm really early, so I hope I'm the first to wish you the best.**

**No new reviews from MediaMiner. Hm. Guess they don't like me anymore. Ah well. I'll get over it. Eventually.**

**Special thanks to my new beta, foxcat, for editing. She did a wonderful job, didn't she folks? Isn't she lovely.**

**You guys are great!**

**R&R**


	8. Chapter Blah

**Disclaimer: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary, how does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells and Rumiko T's creations all in a row.**

**Chapter 8: I can't think of a good title, so I name this chapter, Chapter Blah.**

They gaped at the old man.

"An _actual _house?" Miroku recovered first. "That they're _actually _letting us use?"

"Yes." Totosai laughed. "You didn't think they'd make you stay in this hellhole the whole time did you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind." He said dryly.

"Well, fear not. For there is a big house on Vegan Drive just waiting for you. It has a clear pool, perfect for swimming, a fully stocked chef's kitchen, so you can have good food, clean and mold-free bathrooms, and your own bedrooms."

The entire band had huge shiny eyes. "Really?" They asked in various tones of disbelief and elation.

"Yes. I take care of my kids." Totosai sniffed. "How could you think anything else?"

Inuyasha snorted.

"Okay, hurry up and pack. We don't have all day." He got out his cell phone. "Did I mention there was a studio in the basement? So there's no excuse for you not to have that record out on time." He dialed the cab company and walked out the door.

"Shit." Inuyasha sat heavily on the bed. "All that for us?"

"Guess they finally realized how valuable we are." Sango said. "Ahh! My room's a mess!" She ran across the hall to pack everything back up.

The boys watched her run off and slowly started picking up their own stuff.

"How long do you think it will be before Kagome talks to me again?" Inuyasha asked Miroku.

The monk looked over. "How should I know? I was unconscious most of the time." He took off his pajamas and picked up his clothes. "Why didn't I just put on jeans when I got out of the shower?" He mumbled.

"Hey guys!" Sango burst into the room. "Guess what I found!"

"Sango." Miroku held his jeans strategically over his trouser snake. "Do you mind?"

"Ew. You go commando!"

"So?"

"At least you get the covered view." Inuyasha grumbled from behind the man, where he was oddly absorbed in his packing.

"Yeak!" Sango turned around and heard cloth rustling.

"Okay. You can look now."

"Thank you." She peaked to make sure he was serious. He was, thank God.

"So what were you saying?" Miroku asked.

"Look what I found when I was cleaning my room." She held up a small camera phone.

"Not mine." Inuyasha grunted.

"Well duh. It's none of ours." She grinned like a loon. "Who was the only person in my room besides us?"

Inuyasha gasped and leapt across the room. "It's Kagome's?"

"Gotta be." Sango flipped it open and smirked maliciously. "Shall we see what she has saved in here?"

The hanyou ripped it from her hands. "Come on. You're always going on about privacy, but you'd invade hers? Hypocrite."

Sango raised a brow and whistled. "Harsh. How'd you get so overprotective?"

"I'm not overprotective." He tried to defend himself. Too bad his eloquence was limited to music. "I'm just, you know, defending her, uh, pri…..va…..cy." His brows creased together.

_'That was such a lame excuse.'_

He sighed. _'Shut up you.'_

_'Feh.'_

Sango laughed. She couldn't help it. He was trying so hard to deny his feelings, but he just kept proving them.

"Shut up Sango." He threw himself back into packing.

Miroku shook his head. "Isn't she going to be looking for that?"

"Finally! Thank you Captain Obvious!" Sango marched over to her _thick _friend and tapped on his _thick _skull. "Her phone is her _life_. So, essentially, you have her life in your back pocket." She walked back to her room. "Don't blow it this time."

"Keh."

**Other parts of LA**

Kagome drove back to Kikyo's mansion. Past Silicon Street, around MCD Boulevard, and up Vegan Avenue. _(AN: I know these are most likely NOT streets found in LA, but I've never been there. I have to be creative about most things in this story. Continuing on.)_

She pulled up to the twenty foot gates and leaned over to the intercom. "It's me, Jinengi."

"Miss Kagome." He opened the gates. "Where were you last night? Miss Kikyo was going crazy trying to find you."

"Great." She mumbled. "How is she this morning?"

"Better. Not as loud." The guard leaned closer to the intercom and whispered. "But watch out. She's pacing."

Kagome cringed. Kikyo only paced when she was _extremely _ticked, which wasn't very often. Praise God. "Thanks for the heads up." She pulled through. The circular drive spit rocks up, making an almost comforting crunch under her tires.

She parked in the massive garage and walked in through the kitchen.

"Where is she?" She asked the cook.

"Lookin' for you miss." The cook looked around the corners, sniffing delicately. "She's been throwin' a ragin' fit since last night. Right blew her gasket, she did. Pacin' 'round the front entrance now like a tiger, she is. Waitin' for ya." She began pushing Kagome towards the servants hallway. "Best find yo'self a hidin' place. I suggest the attic."

"I am _not _going to hide like some coward." Kagome shrugged off the cook's hands. "I am going in there and telling her what's what."

"Sure ya're. And I'm a famous country singer, miss."

Kagome smiled. "Really?"

"Oh hush you." The tubby raccoon youkai walked to the butcher's block. "Be careful then. The hag wants her Beef Wellington '_promptly this time_'. So you must be excusin' me."

"Bye Ms. Kline."

"Oh hush."

Kagome walked out of the kitchen and into the lion's den. She took a deep breath and walked to the foyer. "Hello Kikyo." She smiled. "Lovely day don't you think?"

Kikyo was taken off guard by Kagome's appearance behind her. "You've got to be kidding me." She looked at the front door one last time before staring at the younger girl. "Where have you been all day and night? I've needed you."

"Couldn't find your lucky bra again, huh?"

"Kagome." The woman whined. "You know you're more important to me than my bra finder."

"Ah yes. How could I forget?" She hit herself on the head. "You needed a pedicure too, right?"

Kikyo pouted in what could be considered a sexy way. But Kagome was used to her tricks after twelve years of living around her. "Kagome dearest. I was really in need of your excellent guidance."

Kagome shook her head. _'I'm such a sucker. Or, rather, a doormat.'_ "What did you need?"

The model perked up considerably. "Ku-kun needs a birthday present by tomorrow and I can't think of one at all! He has so many things already. What could I possibly give him?"

_'Your faithfulness and compassion.' _Kagome grumbled obscenities under her breath. "I don't know Kikyo. A tie?"

"Kagome!" She laughed. "You know how many ties he has. I mean, you used to go over there all the time." She said innocently, though her eyes betrayed her.

_'Salt in a half-open wound.' _The girl steeled herself for any crying that might come. "Look, Kikyo. I am your _assistant_ and part time _manager_. I don't have time to even _think_ of Naraku's birthday present. Let alone look for one."

"You will!" Kikyo hugged her. '"Oh, thank you so much."

"What?" She dislodged the model from her neck. "No. I said-"

"You're the best Kagome." She ran down the hall.

She glared at the woman's back. "I hate her. With the fire of a thousand suns. Oh, how I loathe that woman." Her fingers clawed, begging to wrap around that bitch's slim neck, and she fought the urge with all the will she could muster. They slowly uncurled and she sighed.

"I guess she can just get him a snow globe. He always had a weird fascination with round things."

The only place that she could think of having snow globes at this time of year was 'Hachi's Fine Collectables'. She reached for her phone to see if they had any in stock. But her hand came up empty.

"What the hell?" The last place she had it was- "Oh no."

**Somewhere Else**

Inuyasha took the phone from his chest pocket. This had to have been the thirtieth time he looked at it in the last hour. _'Kagome's life?' _Somehow, that thought wasn't so bad. Like it was only natural that he held her life in his hands. And he wasn't thinking about her phone. What would it be like to be the only one she turned to for comfort and protection? Would it be as enthralling in reality as he found it in his thoughts?

Probably not.

He looked back at the miracle of modern technology. _'What should I do?'_

_'Duh. You call her to return it.'_

_'You again?'_

_'Yeah. And I'll keep popping up until you take what's ours. Why are letting her run away from us?'_

_'What are you talking about?'_

_'She belongs to us. We need her. Only she can make us happy.'_

_'So, you're referring to yourself in the third person now?'_

_'No moron. You and me. _We_ need her.'_

_'Who are you anyway?'_

_'I'm you. The side of you that you never listen to. And I'm telling you to go after her. So scoot.'_

_'What makes you think I'll listen to you now if I never listened to you before?'_

_'Because of this.'_

He felt a significant surge of power. It was a sex charged, raging desire from deep within himself. He immediately recognized it as the youkai wanting to get out and claim what it thought was his.

"My God."

_'You can say that again.' _The voice smirked.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku heard his mutter in the cramped cab. "Something wrong?"

"It's nothing." He cracked his neck.

Totosai looked up from his date book. "Almost there."

"Good." Inuyasha mumbled. He needed a stretch.

**Back at Kikyo's House**

"Oh no. Not good. Oh, notgoodnotgoodnotgood." Kagome was pacing again. That phone had everything in it. Kikyo's schedule, snapshots of her family, her favorite songs, all of her contacts, business _and_ personal. What was she going to do?

She'd just gotten off the phone with the hotel she'd stayed at the night before. The desk clerk said the band had checked out almost twenty minutes ago, the old man wasn't answering his phone and she had no other numbers for them.

And it _had_ to be with them. She distinctly remembered turning the phone off at the club because Kikyo wouldn't stop calling her. Then she saw it when she looked in her purse for her keys the first time she'd tried to stomp out that morning.

The only thought that was keeping her from weeping was that the old man _had_ to contact her soon. She was the band's escort and manager of their cover girl. He had to. Right?

She whimpered. "How could this happen?"

"How could what happen?" A deep voice asked behind her.

She knew without turning who it was. But what was he doing out here?

"I lost my phone Kouga." She turned around, eyes wet. "I'm in shit so deep right now, it'll take a million years to dig me out."

"I'm sure your exaggerating." His concern for her shone through his eyes as he stepped forward and embraced her. "But it's okay. We'll find…..it."

He sniffed deeply. It was faint, but he could definitely smell that hanyou. And he was horny. How did she get the disturbing scents, hanyou and horny, so deeply imprinted on her skin? Kagome stiffened in his arms and the wolf let her go, but kept hold of her hands so she wouldn't run from him. She had a bizarre tendency to do that when she got mad.

"Kagome?"

The girl cringed. She heard the growl and felt him sniffing her and had a bad feeling about what he was going to say next. "Look Kouga. It's not what you think."

His brows knit. Could she know about…..? No way. Maybe. "What are you talking about?"

Kagome looked up at him. "I know you can smell it."

His blue eyes shot wide open. "You do?"

"Yes. I know what you are."

He growled. Damn hanyou. Kagome was supposed to be told by him and him alone about all that. And what did that pup think he was doing? Getting so friendly with his woman. He should kill the mutt. The wolf flexed his claws. The intent claim was on her last he'd seen her and he could still make it out faintly, though it was masked by Dog-Shit's scent.

His disguise fell and Kagome saw for the first time who she'd really been kissing for the last six months. No doubt, he was still handsome. Even more so, actually. But this just cemented her former resolve. She had to let him go. She felt nothing for him aside from friendship, even in this form. Kissing him had become a chore. Like mowing the lawn. You dread it but know it has to be done. And if she couldn't even kiss him, how did he expect her to have sex with him?

"K-Kouga." She faltered. "I. I can't see you anymore."

The blood froze in his veins, from racing heat to a sluggish cold. Did she just say what he thought she said? His heart slammed against his ribs, trying to move the icy liquid. _'She couldn't have. I love her and she loves me. Right?'_

"Kagome." He reached for her. She pulled away. His heart was breaking in his chest. It hurt. So much. "What is it? Why-?" He tried to look into her down-turned face. "Is it because I'm youkai?"

"No!" She shouted and looked up at him. "No. I just don't feel that way about you anymore." Her feet suddenly became more interesting than his face.

His head swam. "Don't…..feel…..anymore?" He couldn't quite process this. "Was it that hanyou bastard that had the nerve to touch you? Did he do something to you!"

"No. He didn't do anything." She fidgeted, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "I haven't felt that way about you for some time Kouga. I need space, and you're suffocating me."

"I'm what?" He said quietly. His eyes burned. "But. I love you, Kagome. You can't leave me." A mysterious liquid was forming but would not fall. She looked hauntingly beautiful through his blurred vision.

"That's what I'm talking about. You're always telling me what to do and who to see and trying to get into my pants. Kouga, that's not how things work with humans." Kagome finally looked up.

And immediately regretted it.

His face was scrunched and sadder than she'd ever seen it. She'd never seen him cry. She realized she'd never even seen him sad. Angry, happy, arrogant, and horny, of course. These were emotions she could deal with. She almost wished he'd get mad just to stop his tears and get her out of this situation.

His chin started to quiver and he turned away from the questing brown eyes that he loved so much. She was really leaving him. And he couldn't understand why. Hadn't he done all the right things? Said all the right things? Laid off on the mating until she understood and was ready? Why was this happening? He was Kouga! Leader of the wolf-demon tribe and lead singer for Ookami, a band he started only after hearing her say how much she enjoyed rock music. This wasn't supposed to happen to him. Things like this _did not _happen to him. The tears dried quickly as the denial and anger overcame him.

"What do you want from me Kagome?" He turned on his heel and took a step towards her. "Do you want me completely out of your life? Are you going to run back to _him_ the minute I leave?"

She backed up a step. "What? No." He continued his advance and she continued her retreat. She didn't like that look in his eyes. "I don't even like him like that." _'I think. I shouldn't.'_ She remembered his kisses. _'I'm so confused.'_

"LIAR!" Kouga had backed her into the wall. "I can smell it. You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

"Why would you say something stupid like that?" Kagome growled. "And back off. You're squashing me."

He grinned predatorily. "I don't think so, my dear Kagome. I can smell your desire. And I know you aren't thinking of me. I'm right in front of you, but you're eyes are far away. Admit it."

Kagome tried to push on his chest, but he wouldn't budge. It occurred to her what strength he really had. The strength he was hiding from her for so long. "So what if I am? It's not like it means anything to you now, does it?"

He growled at her and stuck his nose in her hair. But even that had been tainted for him. "Dog-Breath has his scent all over you."

"What?" Kagome whispered.

"I didn't think you were that kind of girl Kagome. Stringing along two men like that. I feel sorry for the poor bastard that marries you." His bangs hid his weeping face from her view. If he kept telling himself that he hated her, maybe he would one day believe it.

Her hand flew of it's own volition. The connection with his tense jaw jolted her to the core. His piercing blue eyes rose to her with a fire that could consume her. He grasped her wrists and pulled her to him. _'One last kiss.' _Was all he was thinking. _'Then I'll leave her forever.'_

Kagome watched as his eyes went completely lifeless. Like he didn't care about living anymore. Then they closed and his mouth descended on hers. It was insistent and hard. She couldn't breathe, but she could cry. He could smell the salt stinging the air. Slowly, the sapphire orbs opened and he could see clearly. For the first time in a long time, he put two and two together. Kagome's behavior lately, the annoyance, her avoiding him and not returning his calls, even seeming to not want to be in the same room as him. She really _had _stopped loving him.

He pulled away. "You're crying." He wiped a tear from her smooth cheek with the pad of his thumb. "I made you cry?" She nodded. "I never want you to cry, Kagome. Never." He let her go completely and turned for the door. "I'll be leaving now." His voice broke. "Goodbye. My heart."

She watched him go, feeling worse than she had in years. She didn't think it would be this hard. Where was that arrogant man she'd fallen for? Did she really reduce him to a simpering pile of man-flesh? It shouldn't have surprised her. He was extremely devoted to her. She just didn't realize how deep it went. Maybe they could still be friends. At least then they'd keep in touch.

But that would be cruel. If she ever did find someone, and he was there to watch her, and she was happy….. She couldn't let herself think about it. It was better this way. She sighed and reached for her phone. She needed to talk to her mother.

"Damnit." She hissed.

_(AN: You have no idea how much I wanted to end it right here.)_

**Back at the Cab**

Totosai pointed out the house to the cab driver. It was stately. Not overly large, but big enough. The band stepped out of the car and walked up to the porch. In reality, it was a wrap around terrace and seemed to go for miles. Except that it stopped about twenty feet along. They trudged through the doors. Looks could be deceiving, and after staying at that hotel, not to mention five months on a bus with no relief, they'd started to lose faith in their record company's sincerity.

Miraculously, this time, those idiots got something right. The house was amazing. Eight HUGE bedrooms, all furnished with comfortable beds and clean sheets. Not a hint of any bodily fluids ever touching them. The kitchen really was stocked full of yummy foods and tons of ramen. All the silverware and utensils were there as well as a chrome stove, refrigerator/freezer, appliances on the black marble counters, and a dishwasher. It even had a breakfast bar, complete with cherry wood stools. There were six bathrooms. One for each of them and the others for guests. All of them had their own theme, which matched the bedrooms, and seemed to suit each of the members particular taste dead on.

Inuyasha's bedroom was a deep red with black trim going all the way around the floorboards and the ceiling border. The ceiling itself was left white. The theme continued into his bathroom. His towels were red and the shower curtain was red with deadly looking black spikes intermingling in a seemingly random order. It looked oddly familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd seen it before.

_'Oh, hell yeah!' _He thought_. 'This is awesome!'_

Miroku's was black, purple, and blue. Purple being the dominant color as it was his favorite. In the bathroom, the shower curtain was nowhere to be found. Instead there was a glass door, tempered to a slightly foggy haze.

_'I can most _definitely _see myself using this.'_

Sango's was pink and deep green. Her shower curtain had a calming forest scene on it. The towels were fluffy and green and the walls were a mild pink with small pine trees and roses dotting it.

_'Funny that mine is the least gloomy of all.' _She shrugged. '_Girly even. But I love it.'_

The gang gaped at the perfection of the house after they'd had their little tour. Aside from the multitude of rooms and bathrooms and an awesome kitchen, there was also the recording studio in the basement, balconies outside every room, a seven-foot-long cherry wood kitchen table that converted into a pool table, and imperial staircases descending almost from the vaulted ceilings themselves. There was a hot tub flowing into an Olympic pool in the backyard and there was still enough room to play football without having to jump a fence after every throw.

They couldn't believe their luck.

"Wow." Sango breathed. "You've outdone yourself jijii."

The old man blushed. "Well, I did try my best."

"Do they have someone that comes in to cook for us or clean or mix the recordings?"

Totosai looked around.

Inuyasha snarled. "I knew there was a catch. Were you going to leave us to wallow in filth for a few months wondering where the maid was?"

"No." He backed up a few steps.

"Then when were you going to tell us?" Inuyasha grabbed the front of the youkai's gray jacket, holding him over his head by the lapels.

"Soon. Very soon. _Extremely _soon." He started choking. "Put me down."

Inuyasha dropped him to the floor and stalked off to his new room, growling incomprehensibly the whole way.

The three left behind watched him go.

"What is wrong with him now?" Totosai looked at the two youngsters.

They shrugged.

"Woman problems." Miroku blurted.

"Male PMS." Sango said.

They looked at each other and laughed. "Oh my god! We actually managed to say something different for a change." Sango gasped.

Miroku watched Totosai edge out the door. "You are so sexy when you laugh."

Sango sat up from where her giggling had placed her on the floor. "What?"

"N-nothing." He said nervously and ran for his room.

Sango was left blinking at his back. _'He thinks I'm sexy.' _She sighed. 'Should _I be taking that as a compliment?'_

**Upstairs**

Inuyasha paced his room. What was he doing? The old man didn't warrant that kind of reaction. He could've gotten off with a mild glare. There was something going on with the youkai inside. And he was going to find out what it was, even if it took him to the depths of Hell itself.

He picked up his phone. The line rang once. "Hello. Sesshomaru?"

_(AN: This is the second place I was going to end it. But it was still missing something.)_

**An hour later**

Inuyasha and his brother had never gotten along very well. But if one needed help, the other was there to provide it. It was like a love/hate relationship. Mostly hate. So when Inuyasha called up inquiring about what his brother's own youkai did and why it was telling him all this stuff, Sesshomaru gave him all the knowledge he had. Albeit grudgingly.

"So," Inuyasha tried to understand what he'd just been told. "what you're saying is, the youkai inside me is trying to break free to claim our destined mate and won't stop until it does."

"In a nutshell, yes." His smooth voice affirmed.

"How do I subdue it?" Inuyasha questioned. "Every time I get around this girl, he just goes wild."

"Stop seeing the girl."

"What! I can't do that!"

"Why? She's human. She's not worthy of our bloodline."

"My _mother_ was human." Inuyasha growled.

"I know."

The growl deepened. "She raised you like her own son."

"I was already grown when father mated her."

"Bullshit! You're never too old to need your mother. And yours is dead."

"And so is yours." Sesshomaru sighed. "Inuyasha, we've been having this same fight for almost forty years. Can you please drop it?"

"Not until you admit that a human mate is not a bad thing."

"Humans _are_ useful." He glared at the phone, willing it to disintegrate. "But a human mate is unacceptable. I would never defile our heritage by adding that filth to this Sesshomaru's line."

Inuyasha growled and hung up. "Jackass. Just watch, you self-righteous prick. I hope your words bite you on your pompous ass."

He slid down the banister and into the kitchen. The ramen was next to the macaroni and he made a big, steaming bowl. Miroku burst into the kitchen.

"Hello!" He said brightly. A little too brightly.

"What'd you do?" Inuyasha asked while sucking up the noodles.

"What makes you think I did something?" He laughed nervously, gauging the width and length of the butcher's block in the middle of the kitchen as compared to the space under the table.

Inuyasha snorted. "Look at yourself."

Miroku sighed and settled for opening one of the cabinets. "I _may_ have walked in on something I was never supposed to see."

"So." He slurped. "You do that all the time."

Miroku smirked meaningfully at Inuyasha.

"She left the door unlocked, huh?"

"_Oh_ yeah."

The hanyou just shook his head while the monk crammed himself into the lower shelf. Sango came charging around the corner, face red and eyes blazing.

"Damn pervert." She stopped at the breakfast bar where Inuyasha was eating. "Where'd he go?"

"What'd he do?"

"He peeked! On me!" She stomped her foot. "And I want to beat him up for it."

"What did he see that's got you so mad?" He lazily sucked up some broth.

Sango's blush deepened. "MYOB!"

The hanyou sighed. He looked down at the counter in front of her, hinting at the cabinet beneath. He thought it was blaringly obvious what he was looking at. Sango couldn't figure it out. Then she got a glint in her eye. _'This should draw him out. Hehehe.'_

"Pervert!" She yelled at the hanyou. "Why are you trying to look down my shirt?"

Inuyasha's eyes went wide. "What! I-" His mouth opened in a silent 'oh' when he caught her look.

Miroku sprang from the cabinet. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" He looked over at the smirking girl. "Damn."

Sango grabbed his arm and kept him from huddling back into the cupboard. "Come on letch. You must pay for what you have done."

"With pleasure." He joked. She dinged his skull.

"Children." Inuyasha muttered. He pulled Kagome's phone from his pocket again. "Sango, should I call Kagome's house?"

She stopped walking, "Sure. Why not?"

"Just nervous." He scanned the numbers for one indicating home or work. "Got it." He took a steadying breath. "Here goes nothing."

**Hello my fans! Nice to see you again so soon. Evil cliffy huh? But you had to have seen it coming from how many times I thought of ending the chapter. And you know I won't leave you hanging for long. Well, life has gotten better, I finally found another job. Just took me a week….._mumble mumble_. Granted it's at a Sonic Drive-In and I will probably gain thirty pounds from free food and not be able to pay my rent because they're most likely going to pay me six bucks an hour (we're negotiating), but it's something. Maybe now I can get gas money. _shrugs_**

**I don't like this chapter. I think it was hardly funny at all and more informative than anything. And if you didn't completely understand that last bit, don't worry. I kept it purposefully vague.**

**So, here's some shout-outs and 'thank you's for my love-er-ly reviewers:**

**Amanda Trinh: Sorry about _your_ birthday. And thank you. I hope the breakup lived up to your expectations.**

**Inuyashababe44: Thank you. Glad it's a good one for ya! ;)**

**Kikyo's Basher 4eva: Thank you. Your excitement is contagious.**

**Misteryukimura: Excellent suggestions. I trust you got my e-mail reply? Thank you so much for them. And I will put them into practice in the next few chapters.**

**Lyn: You are such a tease. :P**

**Rain: Told you so. But I don't think it was as gruesome as you were expecting. I couldn't just have Kagome wail on him about being overprotective and smothering and a complete and total idiot. She's not that kind of girl. Even if she's been hurt before _(Damn you, Naraku!)_, I just don't see her doing it to others. Then again, I put in my e-mail address as my pen name the first time I registered. XD**

**LoneWolfLink: Aww. You shouldn't have. I love cake with cookies in it! Especially Oreo cheesecake. Woooo-wee! I could get in trouble if that was the only thing to eat. Imagine me at 500 pounds. _shudder _Ew. Let's not.**

**Jlanimeluvr: Now I have to go and check out your fic. n.n _(that's a big smile by the way)_**

**Adam: Thank you so much. You're such a sweetheart. And 'De nada por el kudos' was my sad, sad attempt at saying 'You're welcome for the props' in Spanish. I told you my grasp of the language sucked.**

**Tawdry Lassie: I'm glad I am. That would be kind of weird if people told you that, what, four months in advance all the time? And thank you. You're always the first one to review. It is a good song, isn't it?**

**Only one on MM.**

**Kattjam: Thank you for being the first one to review since February on this site. It let me know that at least one person still likes it.**

**I'm really starting to think they hate me on MM. This story is good, right? I dunno. Maybe I'm just setting myself up for a fall. _sob _And I put all my lemons over there too!**

**Okay, I'm over it.**

**Just a thought: Why do you think they call them lemons? I mean, isn't that like sour and not desirable for every day consumption? Whereas limes, which are slightly sweeter in my book, are the less, uh, well, you get the idea. I do love me some lemons! ;)**

**Thanks so much to _foxcat _for editing during her busy schedule. It means so much to me that she would take time out to fix my punctuation and grammar mistakes. She's such a sweetie.**

**As always, R&R!**

**Thank you so much!**


	9. Womanly Advice

**Disclaimer: Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack Flash sat on Tetsusaiga when he tried to get them for me. Damn you Inuyasha, for attacking helpless nursery-rhyme characters. Also, I don't own Lillix.**

**Chapter 9: Womanly advice**

The house phone was ringing, but no one was answering.

"What is the point of having servants if they never do anything?" Kikyo yelled. She leaned over her bed and grabbed the telephone from the cradle. "Hello?"

"Hello. Kagome?" A masculine voice asked.

Kikyo sat up. "No. This is Kikyo Tama. Can I help you with _something_?"

"Yes. Could you get Kagome for me?" The man asked rudely.

Kikyo was shocked. Was he saying he would rather talk to her _mousy_ assistant rather than her own gorgeous self? He must be mistaken. Or some kind of rumor digger. If she found out that little assistant of hers was selling her out to the tabloids, she was going to sic her boyfriend on that bitch.

She had to find out for herself. And it was not because he was pleasant to listen to. "I'm sorry. Kagome is, um, indisposed at the moment. Is there anything _I _can help you with?" The self-absorbed model asked sweetly, just in case he was a reporter.

"Yeah. I guess." He seemed to think for a while before answering. "Can you tell her that I have her cell phone. We found it at the hotel."

"We?"

"Yeah. Me and the band." He huffed. "Just tell her we got it and to call Totosai."

"Okay." Kikyo purred._ 'Not a newsman.' _"Was there anything _else_?"

"No. Bye." He hung up.

Kikyo stared at the phone. "Well that was rude." Even so, he sounded hot. If Kagome lost her phone then why did a dreamy-voiced guy like _that _have it?

"Kagome!" She yelled over the intercom. "Get up here."

In the study, Kagome rolled her eyes. Damn PA system. It was wired all over the house so anything that Kikyo needed she just had to push a button for.

"Coming, Highness," she grumbled, "and after I finally found a good book too."

She marched up the stairs to Kikyo's room.

The princess was stretched over her bed in the feathery pink lounging robe Naraku had gotten her as an anniversary present last month. Kagome thought she looked ridiculous. The TV was blaring the 'Real World/Road Rules Challenge', but Kikyo wasn't paying attention to the show. She had her limpid eyes locked on the door.

"Dearest Kagome." She drawled. "How have you been? Met any men lately?"

Kagome raised a brow at her employer. "Not really. Just you."

Kikyo huffed. "I just got an interesting phone call for you." The teams started a challenge and the music changed to a mysterious tune.

"Hm." Kagome vocalized indifferently. "And what was said?"

"Some guy has your phone. He said to call a Totosai to get it back." Kikyo inspected her nails. "He sounded extremely hot and a little nervous about talking to you. So," the model cut her eyes to the girl, "any idea who it was?" The music stepped up as the time ticked closer to the end.

Kagome thought about possible responses for her. _'It's my new boyfriend. I upgraded.' _ But that would probably get her a double date. Bleck. _'An acquaintance. We work together. He has a thing for me.' _Then Kikyo might try to steal him from her. _'What? He isn't mine.' _She internally groaned._ 'The truth it is.'_

"Sengoku's lead singer. You should meet him. He's a jerk. Just your type." Her smile was devious and it freaked Kikyo out. Especially since the music had just gotten more diabolical.

"Kagome." She tried to laugh. "Why would I want a jerk when I have my Narry-bear?"

Kagome almost sighed in relief. "I don't know. Why not? I mean, you've got everyone else."

Kikyo's nostrils flared as she rose from the bed. Her robe slipped off one arm to show flawless bare skin underneath. "What are you trying to say?" The music hit a crescendo.

Kagome unconsciously backed up a step. "Nothing. Just that everyone else adores you." _'Skank.'_ She hated stoking the woman's ego, but this was her job. And she _really needed _this job. "And maybe you should meet more people. You can never have too many friends." The girl tried her hardest to sound appeasing. _'Or, in your case, lovers.' _The buzzer sounded.

Kikyo slowly sat back down. "Maybe I should meet him."

Kagome tried not to let her pounding heart slow her down. "Good idea. After all, you are going to be posing for them."

"When?" Kikyo looked up. "I don't remember agreeing to that."

"Sometime either next month or the one after. But soon." Kagome looked behind her when a cheer from the screen broke her concentration. "And I talked to you about it after the Grammy's, remember?"

"Oh, yeah." Kikyo pretended to remember. "That'll be fun." She sniffed and turned up the TV. "You can go now."

Kagome bowed out of the room. _'Thank you, Highness. Your generosity knows no bounds.'_

**Back at the other house**

Inuyasha hung up the phone. That Kikyo bitch really needed to lighten up. She didn't even know who he was and she was all over him. He shuddered.

He talked to himself, hoping his youkai wouldn't answer. "I'm glad Kagome's not like that."

"Nod lie wha?" Miroku asked around his Kleenex filled nostrils.

Inuyasha jerked up when the monk stepped from behind him. "Nothing. So, you really got it this time didn't you?"

"Yez." He wet a towel and placed the cool cloth over his eyes. "You'd dink avner all dease years det she would be use to det trea'ment." He took the tissue from his nose, praying that the bleeding had stopped. "But she just gets more violent." The monk threw the bloody tissues into the trash compactor. "Why does she do this?" He gestured to his black eyes, fat lip, and bloody nose. "Even when I don't catch her doing _that_."

Inuyasha just looked at his friend. _'And they call me the thick one.'_ He sighed and put a hand on the monk's shoulder. "Maybe if you stopped groping every woman that walks your way she'd be slower to knock you around when your hand 'drifts over her ass'."

Miroku tried to smile, but his heart wasn't in it. "But I haven't groped anyone other than her for almost a year now."

"You haven't?" The hanyou's brows knit as he thought about it. "You haven't." They shot up. "Well, maybe if you stopped groping her she'd stop hitting you."

Miroku sighed and smiled wistfully. "I've tried, but I can't even be in the same room with her and not want to touch her." He smirked. "I mean, have you seen that ass? And that rack. How can I resist?"

Inuyasha looked sick. "I've seen her practically naked and not wanted to."

Miroku dove across the counter trying to wring his best friend's neck. "When! I want answers! And don't you ever think of touching what's mine. Got it!"

Inuyasha side-stepped and Miroku crash-landed on the floor. "And _I'm_ the jealous one." He walked away.

"Ittaa….." Miroku whimpered.

**Later that day**

Kagome picked up the phone. Is it sad when you know someone you don't even like's number by heart? If it was, then Kagome was sitting pretty at the loser's table.

The line rang three times. Just before it went to voicemail, the old man picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi Totosai. It's me."

"Who?"

Kagome growled. This innocent-old-man act was getting really old. "Kagome."

"Ah, yes." He switched ears and grabbed the package he was signing for. "What do you want?"

She was getting used to this kind of treatment around the band. Now, was that sad? "Inuyasha

called. He says they have my cell phone and I really need it back. Can we arrange a rendezvous?"

"A whatty-woo?"

Kagome had to chuckle at that. "A meeting. So I can get it back."

"Sure."

Kagome waited for him to say more. She sighed. "When and where?"

"What were we talking about?"

She hit herself in the head. "Getting my phone back."

"Oh, yeah." He looked behind him at the house. "Do you know where Vegan Drive is?"

Kagome arched a brow. _'My street.' _She shook her head. Coincidence. "Yes."

"Okay. They're staying at 1647 Vegan Drive. You can get it from them there."

_'No way.' _Kagome parted the curtains and looked across the road. There was the old man. _'Ay, dios mio.' _She backed away from the window. "I think I can find it. So what's a good time?"

"Any time." He muttered. "But they better be writing when you get here."

"Yeah. Okay." She hung up. "Oh not good." The girl started pacing.

What was she going to do? It was bad enough when the hanyou was across _town_. Now he was across the _street_? The things that even thinking of him did to her. What should she call it? Lust? Yeah, that was good. Lust seemed to sum it up.

Except for that nagging voice that pointed out all the things they had in common. She really screwed herself taking him to all her favorite places. And talking to him! What was she thinking! You don't talk to a guy that has _that _affect on you. Girls get in the 'family way' doing that.

So _what _was he to her? A friend? No. Sango and Miroku had become her friends. He was something else entirely. A _boy_friend? No. From what she could tell, he hated her guts and thought she was stupid. A lover? They had kissed. Did that qualify as a lover? No. Her fantasies couldn't even make him her lover. So what _was _he to her? Even she couldn't answer that. He was more than a friend, that's for sure, but not her boyfriend, though he acted like it at times.

She growled. _'Thoughts like this will make you go crazy.' _A distant voice said. A gruff male's voice. It was somehow familiar, but she didn't recognize it. Nor did she question it as she was stalking to her room.

If she was going to go over there, she might as well look her best.

**Across the street, as we now find it**

Totosai shook his head at the phone and walked back in. He set the package on the entry table and went to find his band. Miroku and Inuyasha were in the kitchen, but Sango was pacing around upstairs. He could hear her grumbling from where he was, and decided it would be a much better decision to go to the kitchen.

"Hello boys." He called when he walked in. "Lovely day for a date, wouldn't you agree Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"Kagome is coming over."

"What!" He jumped from his stool and ran upstairs.

The two men left behind raised their eyebrows.

"So, you hungry?" Miroku asked.

"No. I just ate some roast beef."

"But you just got in here."

"Yes."

"So…..Where'd you get the roast?"

"Do you want some?" He reached behind his back.

"Sure. I do love roast beef."

The old man pulled it out of his back pocket. "Here."

Miroku stared at it. "Never mind."

"What's wrong with it?"

**Kagome's Room**

"What to wear? What to wear?" She looked through her drawers. "No." She tossed the shirt behind her. "No." There went another blouse.

She looked through the rest of the drawers and the closet full of clothes.

"I have nothing to wear!"

**Inuyasha's Room**

"Hm." He searched the floor. That's where he'd thrown his clothes once they got to the house. "This looks good." He pulled the shirt over his head.

**Kagome's Bathroom**

"Ah! My hair looks horrible!" She picked up a brush and some pomade. "This frizz is gonna kill me." The girl attacked her hair, trying to make it at least presentable. The waves fell from her shoulders and she tried to make them straight. "Grrr."

**Inuyasha's Bathroom**

He looked in the mirror. "I'm good." Hand-cup breath test. "Sick." He brushed his teeth. "Better." Arm pit sniff. "Okay."

**Kagome**

"That does it. I'm just gonna have to take a shower."

**Inuyasha**

He walked back downstairs. "When did you say Kagome would get here old man?"

Miroku was inspecting what Totosai had shoved into his hand. It _appeared _to be beef. But knowing where it came from, who knows. It could be something dangerous to mortals.

Totosai was staring at the monk. His brow was twitching slightly. "Just eat it, pansy."

"Ahem." Inuyasha cleared his throat. "I asked you a question Jijii."

He finally looked up, the young man's suspicion of his dinner having worn off. "What?"

"When did you say Kagome was coming over?"

Miroku gagged in the background.

"Oh." He thought for a minute, stroking his sparse beard. "I didn't say. She could be coming tomorrow for all I know."

Now Miroku was holding his throat and gasping for breath.

Inuyasha sighed and stalked back to the den. On his way over, he slapped Miroku on the back and the killer roast beef flew from the monk's mouth.

He jumped over the couch and flipped on the satellite TV.

"Six hundred channels and nothing good on."

**Back at Kag's place**

Kagome stepped from the shower feeling refreshed and got ready to go across the street. _'Why am I getting all dolled up just to get my phone back from him?'_ She asked herself. The voice appeared again, faintly calling to her.

_'You want to look good for him.'_

_'Why?'_

_'Because you love him.'_

_'No I don't.'_

_'Then why the preparation?'_

She couldn't answer. _'Maybe I just want to look good today.' _The voice never answered, but it made her think.

And why did it sound like Inuyasha?

**Later that day**

Kagome walked across the street with trepidation. "What am I nervous for? I'm just getting my phone back."

_'Maybe because you-'_

_'Shut up.'_

The voice growled and left to torment his regular victim.

The dress Kagome had chosen was riding up her thighs. Tight skirts are not the best choice to wear…..ever. Unless you don't plan on sitting, or walking, or moving in any way that would compromise your modesty. And the heels were an nice touch. Nothing says comfortable like a pair of five inch pumps.

The girl praised her _excellent_ fashion sense.

She fidgeted with the clasp of her bracelet as she neared the door. The doorbell was cute. Shaped like a bumblebee. She pushed on the thorax and waited for the door to open, playing with her flame shaped necklace as she did so.

Inuyasha sprang from the couch when he heard the annoying ring and ripped open the portal. The insult for disrupting his afternoon died on his lips when he saw who was on the other end. And she looked scrumptious.

"Can I come in?" Her voice was uncertain. _'Why is he looking at me like he'd eat me alive?'_

He tried to wipe the dumbfounded look from his face. "Uh, sure." He held the door open and allowed her to pass under his arm. She smelled like berries.

"Nice house."

"Thank you." The hanyou racked his brain for something to say. "Drink?" _'That's the best I could come up with?'_

She giggled. "Sounds good." _'Did I just giggle! I don't giggle.'_

"Well, follow me. I'll show you the kitchen." He started walking. "Though I don't know if it will be as interesting as the front hall."

She giggled again.

_'What is wrong with me?'_ Both of them thought.

_'I've already told you.' _The voice answered in both their heads.

_'Shut up.' _They yelled.

The voice sighed.

They finally got to the kitchen and Inuyasha opened the fridge.

"We've got some orange juice. Milk. Water. Lemonade. Loads of Dr. Pepper. Um, I think there's some Gatorade back here."

"Water is fine." As he got out the bottle, she tried to remember why she was here in the first place. "I won't be here long. Just came for my phone."

He twisted the top off the bottle and handed it to her. "Yeah? You got a date tonight or something?"

"What?"

"Your dress. It's really nice." He tried to keep the heat from his gaze as he scanned her attire.

She took a long drink, her mouth suddenly very dry with his look. "No I don't. Do you really like it?" She twirled around, giving him an excellent view of all her goodies.

Now he needed a drink. "Yeah." He got another bottle out.

"I'm not sure why I'm wearing it. I don't have anywhere to go." The bottle switched hands. "Not since I broke up with Kouga today." She glanced up from under her lashes.

He took another drink. "You did?" How fortunate he was. "Are you okay?" _'Remember, Miroku says to be sensitive. They like that shit.'_

She looked down, remembering Kouga's face and his words. "Yeah. It was the right thing to do."

He nodded even though she couldn't see. "Do you want to get some dinner tonight? My treat."

Her head jerked up. "What?"

"Y-you know." He looked around the kitchen. "To cheer you up…..and stuff."

"Are Miroku and Sango coming?" She didn't know if she wanted them to or not.

"Do you want them to?" He scowled. _'If she just wants Miroku there…..'_

"Don't you?"

"I guess they could come. If it makes you feel better." He cringed. _'Great. Now I sound like I want to get her alone. Which I do. But that's not the point.'_

"That's okay. I'm pretty sure you're harmless." She smiled. _'Am I being too forward?'_

He chuckled. If only she knew what he was thinking about when he saw her walk in. "Alright. I'll get my coat."

Kagome stood around the kitchen while he sprang off to God knows where. "Wait a minute. It's, like, eighty degrees out."

**Meanwhile**

Inuyasha sprang into Miroku's room.

"Help."

The monk glanced up from reading his manga on the bed. The look on his friend's face could only be described as sheer desperation.

"What's wrong?"

"I think I just asked Kagome out on a date. What am I going to do?"

Miroku raised an eyebrow, then scrunched both, then scratched his head. "Um, go on a date…..?"

The hanyou rolled his eyes and sighed. "I know that. But where? And what will I say to her? And-"

"Inuyasha." He climbed off the bed and put his hands on his panicking friend's shoulders. "Calm down. Take a deep breath." He waited while the hanyou did so. "You've been on dates before."

"Yeah, but this is _Kagome._" Her name rolled off his tongue like a fine wine. Right before it stained your favorite shirt.

"Just, I don't know, treat her like any other girl." Inuyasha just looked at him. "Okay. Like _I_ would treat any other girl."

"Miroku." Inuyasha growled. "I will _not_ ask her to bear my children or grope her or-"

"Okay, okay. I get your point." He breathed deeply. "We need a woman's opinion."

They nodded and yelled in unison, "Sango!"

She came running in, wide-eyed. "What? Who died?" The girl looked at the two boys, who were trying not to look scared. "Oh, it's just you. What's up?"

"Inuyasha asked Kagome out on a date and now he's freaked and I don't know what to do."

Sango rolled her tongue over her teeth and licked her lips. "Um-hm. And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Tell him what to say and how to act." Miroku grumbled. "Because apparently I'm no good at it."

She smiled. "You're good. For a man that's been in prison for ten years."

"But Sango, I've never been in…..oh." He pouted adorably.

She tried not to smile at his cuteness. "Look, the secret to women is: There is no secret. Every woman is different. You have to figure out what your date likes by talking to her."

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"The great Inuyasha afraid of a little girl?" She goaded.

"I'm not afraid of anything!" He shouted. "I'm just…..nervous."

She smiled. "Look, there are a few things almost all women like."

"And they are?" Both boys asked.

The taijiya rolled her eyes. "Understanding, love, and occasional flattery."

They seemed to think about it. She didn't want to know _what_ those thoughts were, but it's good that they considered her words.

"Just don't insult her or yell at her, and use those manners your mom taught you: open doors, pull out chairs, easy on the swears, say 'please,' 'thank you,' and 'excuse me,' preferably not all at the same time, and you'll be fine." She left them to think about it.

Miroku snapped out of it first. "Okay, you heard the lady. Now go get her." He shoved his friend out the door and shut it. "Now, to win the heart of my beloved." With a dark chuckle, he rubbed his hands together and plotted.

Inuyasha walked down the stairs in a daze and followed his feet to the kitchen.

"Where's your coat?" Kagome asked.

"Huh?" Was his intelligent reply.

"You said you were getting your coat." She finished off her bottle of water. "Though why you would need it in nearly ninety degree weather is beyond me."

He seemed to recall what he'd told her to get away. "Yeah. That's what I figured out when I went to get it." _'Lame.'_

Kagome bought it. He didn't seem like the brightest crayon in the box most of the time.

"So where do you want to go?"

"Um, you got an Meat Palace around here?"

Kagome wrinkled her nose. "No."

"Oh. Then how about you pick." He checked that his wallet was in his back pocket. "After all, this is your night."

Kagome smiled at him. "Okay, I know just the place."

**Upstairs**

Miroku slid a hand through his bangs and knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" Sango called.

"The love of your life." He smirked.

"I'm sorry. I don't have a love of my life." The door opened. "Ah yes. The pain in my ass."

Even though Miroku was hurt, he couldn't let her see it. So he smiled instead. "You wound me."

"I'm sure." She picked at her nails, feigning nonchalance. "I was just about to exfoliate, so can you make this quick?"

"Well, I don't want to get in the way of your beauty regimen. We all know you need it." Sango's head shot up, as did her eyebrows. _'That did _not _come out right.' _"What I mean to say is….." Her foot started tapping. "You would look beautiful without going through all that trouble."

"All that trouble?" She growled. "What makes you think I need so much work?"

The man cringed away from the door. "I mean." Insert big sigh. "Sango, do you want to see a movie later?" He flinched.

She would have said yes. If he hadn't just insulted her. "No." She slammed the door.

He sulked across the hall. "I…..am an idiot."

**Downstairs**

Inuyasha and Kagome walked out the front door and across the street. It was a fairly long walk since both of them had freakishly long front drives. For the most part, the trip was silent. Both were absorbed in their own thoughts about the other and the upcoming 'date.' Though neither was certain if the other thought it was a date, or that the other thought that they thought that it was a date. It was a confusing mess.

Once Kagome got in, she went upstairs to get her purse and check her appearance. Seeing as how she looked good and knew it, she walked back down and led Inuyasha to the garage to get her Neon.

"Oh. I almost forgot." She turned to him while she was unlocking the doors. "Where's my phone?"

"Right." He pulled it out of his back pocket and handed it to her. "It's a very nice phone."

"Thank you." She flipped it open to make sure everything was working fine. "You guys didn't look in it, did you?"

"No way. Why would I want to see your stuff?" He pursed his lips. _'Oops. So much for a good evening.'_

Kagome tried to shrug it off. This was his nature, she was coming to realize. Most of his insults were born out of nerves. It was a very good thing to keep in mind with the hanyou. Though she had yet to figure out when he was joking or really meant it.

"I don't know. Why would I even _think _of something like that?" She said sarcastically and finished opening the door.

Inuyasha sighed and got in the car. _'Remember what Sango said. Remember what Sango said. What did Sango say? Oh yeah. I've already messed up and we haven't even left the house. This does not bode well.'_

The ride was short. Mainly because Kagome was suffering from 'Pissy Driver Syndrome,' or PDS which is its clinical term. Not to be confused with PMS, PHAT Mother Syndrome, which hits when you're forty and think you look twenty-five. Or PTS, Prissy Teachers Syndrome, which is that infamous power-trip your math teacher has around mid-terms. But I digress…..

When she pulled into the parking lot of The Pink Jewel, Inuyasha noticed how many cars were there.

"Date night on a Tuesday?" He asked. "Things really are different over here."

Kagome got out of the car slightly calmer. Driving over a hundred did that to a girl. Gets out all your frustrations.

"No. Amateur night." She answered.

Amateur night at The Pink Jewel was a local hot spot. Bands from all over the city competed for a two hundred dollar prize. And free beer for the week.

They walked through the crowd and found a table in the back, shrouded in shadows. Shippou was there in an instant.

"Ah, my favorite customer. How are you today Kagome?" He looked at the other occupant. _'You can't be serious.'_

Kagome smiled, her earlier tension now completely gone with the excitement, music, and a friendly face.

"I'm fine Shippou. How are you?"

"Good. Anything to drink?"

"Shippou!" She laughed. "You know what I always get."

"Of course. And you, puppy? Another lager?"

Inuyasha growled. "No."

Kagome put a hand on his arm and it silenced his growl. "Shippou, don't goad him like that."

Shippou's eyes widened and he tried to look innocent. "Why, Kagome, whatever do you mean?"

"I know what you are fox. And I know what he is. So don't call him a puppy, okay? _I'm_ the one that has to drive him home."

"Sorry Kagome." He bowed his head. "And what would you like, sir?" He grit out. This half-breed wasn't good enough for her.

Inuyasha sensed his reluctance to be polite and reveled in it. "Bring me what she's having. Kid."

"Inuyasha!" The girl beside him smacked his arm. "Now you stop it. I don't want any fights in here."

"Come on. I could beat him with one arm tied behind my back." Shippou put his notepad back in his apron.

"I'd like to see you try it, you little punk." Inuyasha stood up.

"Now, now boys." Kagome grinned and joined them. "All this over little old me?" Both of them shut up. "Good. We're all adults here, so let's act like it."

"Fine."

"Keh."

"Good." Kagome sat down. "Now if you don't mind, I'd like to enjoy the bands tonight."

Shippou sighed. "I'll have your drinks in a second." He set the menus on the table.

"Little brat." Inuyasha grumbled.

Kagome silenced him with a look. You know, that look your mom gives you when you haven't done your homework and you're trying to watch cartoons. He shivered. Were girls just born with that look in their arsenal?

"Thank you Purple Fairy Kiss." The announcer said slowly and clapped. "Well people? How were they?" The applause was mediocre and a few friends of the band whistled. "Okay! The crowd has it and your votes have been tabulated. Now, from right here in Los Angeles, say hello to 'Kamikaze'!"

Four girls ran onstage and quickly set up their equipment. Since most of it was provided by the house, all they had to do was plug in the guitars and set a keyboard on its stand.

"Hi! I'm Kagura!" The lead singer and back-up guitar said with a flourish. "To my right on bass guitar is Kanna." The pale bassist waved to the crowd. "To my left, on the rockin' electric is Rin." The bubbly girl waved. "And in the back, working out her anger issues, is Ayame!" The red-head spun her sticks. "And we are KAMIKAZE!" The crowd erupted in cheers. "Thank you, thank you. This is a song held dear to our hearts."

_(AN: Warning. This song can be skipped. And I would advise listening to it while reading. Otherwise it's boring and you will hate me. It can be heard on the Freaky Friday soundtrack or from Lillix. Whatever.)_

Kagura started with a light strumming melody.

"Hey!" The girls said together and all joined in with a resounding note.

_Hey!_

More intricate melodies joined in.

_Uh-uh-huh_

_Hey!_

Inuyasha leaned over and whispered to Kagome. "If that's all they're going to sing, I'm pulling the plug now."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Wait for it."

_Uh-uh-huh_

_What I like about you_

_You hold me tight_

_Tell me I'm the only one_

_Wanna come over tonight?_

_Yeah….._

Inuyasha sighed as the beat changed again. "A cover. How appropriate for those that can't write their own music."

The melody converted to the more intricate pattern and the rest of the girls joined Kagura as her own back-up singers.

_(Ah-ah) Keep on whisperin' in my ear_

_(Ah-ah) Tell me all the things that I wanna hear_

_'Cause it's true (what I like)_

_That's what I like about you (what I like)_

The beat switched back to the original.

_What I like about you_

_You really know how to dance_

_When you go up, down, jump around_

_Talk about true romance_

"Yeah." Kagura voiced as the music picked up again.

_(Ah-ah) Keep on whisperin' in my ear_

_(Ah-ah) Tell me all the things that I wanna hear_

_'Cause it's true (what I like)_

_That's what I like about you (what I like)_

_That's what I like about you_

_(What I like about you)_

_That's what I like about you_

_(What I like about you)_

Inuyasha looked on in amazement when Kagura set down her guitar and jumped over to the keyboard to pound out a solo.

"That's different."

As the girls vocalized with _'Uh-uh-huh'_s and _'Hey'_s, Kagome leaned back over the table.

"They've won this thing for three weeks in a row." She patted his hand. "So show a little appreciation."

She stopped talking when Kagura jumped back over to pick up her guitar. The beat slowed down and Inuyasha waited for them to sing again.

"What I like about you." Rin shouted.

"You keep me warm at night." Kanna nearly whispered.

"Never wanna let you go." Kagura sang.

All the girls harmonized. "Know you make me feel alright."

"Yeah." The lead dragged out.

They went back to the banging melody.

_(Ah-ah) Keep on whisperin' in my ear_

_(Ah-ah) Tell me all the things that I wanna hear_

_'Cause it's true (what I like)_

_That's what I like about you (what I like)_

_That's what I like about you_

_(What I like about you)_

_That's what I like about you you you_

_(What I like about you)_

The beat slowed down again. Kagura whispered the lead and Rin and Kanna sang behind her.

_That's what I like about you_

_(That's what I like)_

_That's what I like about you_

_(That's what I like)_

_That's what I like about you_

_(That's what I like about you)_

_That's what I like about you_

_(That's what I like about you)_

_That's what I like about_

_Hey!_

It sped up again as they pounded to a conclusion.

_Uh-uh-huh_

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!" The girls yelled at everyone while still playing.

_Uh-uh-huh_

_Hey!_

"That's what I like about you." Kagura whispered one last time.

"Hey!" They ended all music with that one word.

The crowd went wild. Standing ovations were seen and the applause was deafening. Even Inuyasha joined in with Kagome at his side giving her best whistle.

"Wow." The announcer came back onstage. "People?" The cheers were loud enough to rival a Sengoku concert. "Well, I don't really see a point in continuing on with this."

"BOO!" The crowd yelled.

The announcer chuckled into his mike. "Alright. The mob has spoken. You're up, um," he looked at his note cards, "LOB." He checked again. "Yeah. So come on out boys!"

Five young men came out uncomfortably.

"They're going to get eaten alive by this crowd." Inuyasha muttered and returned to his seat.

Kagome grinned. "Naw. People here are really nice."

The pre-recorded music started and they began dancing to a Backstreet Boys song.

"On second thought." The girl grumbled.

"Where is that brat with our drinks? I'm getting hungry." The hanyou's stomach growled on cue.

"I've got them right here." The kitsune grumbled and set the glasses on the table.

"Thank you Shippou." Kagome smiled. "How about the appetizer sampler and lobster. He's paying."

She looked at the hanyou who seemed to have just swallowed his own tongue. And she giggled again.

**Much later that night**

Inuyasha walked Kagome to her door after they got back from the restaurant.

"I had a really nice time tonight." She fiddled with her keys and smiled up at him.

"I suppose this is the part where I say 'I had a great time too'?" He grinned down at her.

"That would be the appropriate thing to say."

"Well, I did." His smile turned soft. She noticed.

"I'm glad."

"Bet you're not thinking about Kouga anymore, huh?" He chuckled.

She stopped smiling. "Not until now."

"Oh." He backed up a few steps. "Well, I'll just go then."

"Yeah." She glared. "Good night Inuyasha." Kagome opened the lock and stepped in quickly. "And it was going so good too." She stomped up to her room. "He's such an idiot."

**Across the street**

"I am such an idiot."

"So you've said." Miroku watched his friend pace his purple room. "What you won't say is why."

Inuyasha flopped on Miroku's bed. "The night was going fairly well."

"Fairly?" He cocked a brow.

"I might have stuck my foot in my mouth a couple times before we even got in the car."

"And?"

"And I might have almost gotten into a fist fight with Shippou, that little shit, at the restaurant. And then again with a drunk in the parking lot."

"But?"

"Would you stop that! I'm getting there."

"Go on."

"I thought it went good after that. Until I walked her to her door and mentioned Kouga."

"Ouch." The monk grimaced. "Bad move."

"I know." He growled. "Why do you think I'm kicking myself for it?"

"Really? I thought kicking yourself looked like this." Miroku jumped up and flicked his leg behind him. It hit his rear with a thump.

"Show off." Sango said as she entered the room. "Inuyasha, your problem is that you don't think before you speak. Or act."

"How would you know?" The hanyou grumbled.

She looked at the boys. "You're loud. Scoot over." She pushed Inuyasha over on the bed so she could sit down. "Next time you just have to be more conscious about what you say."

"Next time?"

"You _do_ want this girl, right? I mean, I'm not imagining it?"

"Yes."

"So you have to prove that you're a decent guy. Now, call her tomorrow and make another date."

"I don't know, Sango."

She sighed. "Men. Just do it. If I know Kagome like I think I do, she'll try to make an excuse not to go but she really does want to. She just wants you to work for it. That's how girls think. We don't want to seem too 'ready and willing,' if you know what I mean. But if we're really into you, we'll give in if you ask enough."

"So, Sango." Miroku slid in next to her. "Would you like to-"

"No."

"But you don't even know what I was-"

"Yes I do."

"So you-"

"No."

"But I thou-"

"Wrong."

"So if I-"

"No."

The monk sighed. "Persistence bites."

"That's only because I've known you too long. You're like a brother to me." She got off the bed and walked to the door. _'A really hot brother that I would love to be incestuous with. Ew. That sounded wrong on so many levels.' _"Night guys."

"Night Sango." They chorused.

"I'm gonna hit the hay too. Night Inu."

"Night monk." Inuyasha went to his room.

He stripped to his boxer shorts and got in bed. Falling asleep quickly, he had dreams of Kagome. Very heated, interesting dreams.

_(AN: Dreams that cannot be mentioned in this fic…..)_

**Kagome's room**

Kagome made it to her room and changed into her pajamas. Dancing cats again. Her favorite PJs. But they only made her miss her home. She got out her phone. It was only about six pm in Tokyo. Her mom wouldn't mind doling out some advice.

"Hello? Higurashi residence." Her mother's voice carried across the sea.

"Mama?" Kagome reverted to Japanese while talking to her mother. "It's me."

"Hello dear." She smiled as she made dinner. "How is America?"

"Fine."

"And Kikyo? We miss her around the shrine, but it's so nice to see her pictures."

Kagome scowled. "Oh, she's great mom. Work, work, work. You know Kikyo."

Her mother's intuition kicked in. "Is everything okay dear?"

"Yes Mama. I just needed to hear your voice." Kagome sighed.

"Oh." She stirred the pot. "Well then, how's that Kouga fellow you were telling me about? You haven't mentioned him in a long time. Are you still seeing each other?"

Kagome knew this question was coming and tensed for the backlash of her response. "No. We broke up today."

"I'm sorry honey. Are you doing okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm the one that broke up with him actually." There was silence on the line. She could practically hear her mother frowning and felt the urge to explain. "He was smothering me Mom. I needed some space to breathe."

"Well, you always were an independent person." The older Higurashi reasoned. "How did he take it?"

"He was a good sport. Sad, but okay with it."

"Oh." She groaned. "I wish I could be over there for you sweetheart."

"I'm okay Mama. Really." The girl sucked in a big breath. "I had a date tonight."

"So soon after breaking up with Kouga? Kagome. That's not very nice."

"Mom, I've been meaning to break it off with him for a couple months. I just didn't have the nerve to do it until I talked with Inuyasha and his friends."

"Oh? And what did they say?" She was very displeased with her daughter's decision.

"You know how I could see things when I was little?" Kagome winced and started pacing.

She set down her spoon. "Kagome, if you're claiming to see horns and claws on decent people again, I swear-"

"No, Mama. They explained _why _I could see those things. See, there's demons all over the world and-"

"That's it Kagome. This has gone on long enough."

"Mom just listen to me okay?"

"Fine." She sighed. "I'll humor you."

"Thanks. I think." The girl took another deep breath. "You know those old legends that Gramps is so nuts over?"

"Yes."

"And how all of them had youkai in them? Demons? Evil spirits? That sort of thing?"

"What about it? They're just legends Kagome."

"No they're not. They're real and still here. Walking around. They found this way to disguise themselves. Normal people can't see them but I can."

"Kagome. We don't want you to end up like your father. Please stop this nonsense."

"Mom, I will not end up like Dad." She sighed. "I've seen them without the disguise on. Kouga was one. And the boy I went out with tonight is one."

Her mother was silent. "What?" She finally breathed.

"Inuyasha is a half-demon. A hanyou. He's a great guy. A little rough around the edges but I think-"

"Kagome, do you even hear yourself?"

"Mom, you have to believe me. I know what I've seen."

"Dear." She paused to think of the right words. "I believe you see things that aren't there. That's what your father claimed and I can live with that. I trust you. But I just don't want you to get hurt." Tears burned her eyes as she remembered her sweet husband. "They threw him in an asylum, Kagome! The psychiatrists wouldn't let him out and he died in there. I don't want the same thing to happen to you. Just be careful about who you say this sort of thing to."

"I will Mama. I'm not like Dad. He didn't understand. He had no youkai friends to explain it to him and he freaked out when he saw me playing with one of them. But things are different now. You won't _believe _how many of them there are. They're _everywhere._"

"Okay Kagome. So who's this Inuyasha fellow you've been talking about?"

Her mother's mood swings never ceased to amaze her. "He's a hanyou, like I said. Half dog demon and half human."

"He's what?"

"That's what I said when I heard it. But apparently it's not uncommon."

"Hm." Mrs. Higurashi stirred the pot of oden she was cooking. "So what's he like?"

"Well, he's arrogant and brash and rude most of the time. But he means well. And I think he likes me. I'm not sure though because he always says the strangest things at the worst times, but he's great."

"Sounds like someone's got a crush."

"Maybe." Kagome sat on her bed. "I'm not sure. Sometimes I just want to wring his neck."

Her mother chuckled. "Sounds like a winner. So what does he look like?"

"Actually, he's the lead singer of Sengoku."

"Off that CD you sent Souta?"

"Yeah. The one with white hair."

"Oh yes. He was very handsome."

"Just imagine that with doggy ears, cute and fuzzy little perked up white dog ears, on top of his head."

"He sounds adorable."

"He is." Kagome sighed.

"Well dear, I would love to sit here and talk all day, but my oden is done and Souta and your grandfather are hungry so I have to go."

"You're making oden?" The girl's mouth started to water. "That's my favorite."

"I know. And I would send you some, but you know perishables don't ship well."

"I know Mama. Well, I'll let you go."

"Okay honey. Goodbye. I love you Kagome."

"Goodbye Mama. Love you too."

She hung up feeling ten pounds lighter and snuggled under her covers. More dreams of Inuyasha came to her that night. Way more intense than before.

_(AN: ;) Hmmmmm. Interesting.)_

**Hello everyone! Hope you didn't hate the wait too much. Well, Sonic seems to be going well. Except for the people that leave me a three cent tip or none at all. They're stupid. And I'm only making $5.15 an hour so it's even less than I thought. That's the minimum wage from, like what, 1993? They are also stupid. Good food though. So, if I don't get a second job now, I won't have a house anymore. Yay.**

**I hate money. It _really _is the root of all evil.**

**Speaking of which, I have a friend who uses that phrase to explain how women are evil. It's funny. He says that money is the root of all evil, and time is money, and girls take up your time _and _money, so girls are evil. I cracked up. He's an egg head who admits that he has, like, no feelings for anyone. Dork. But he's a great guy so I can't be dissin' on him too bad.**

**Anyway. Kudos for my most reviewed chapter yet. YAY! You guys are awesome.**

**FireLizardTamer: I'm only going to put one more song by Sengoku in here. Apparently having the lyrics in my chapters annoys some people. I don't know what song yet, but it'll probably be one of the ones that I've hinted at in this chapter and the next. So, I don't know. I'm dumb.**

**Kittycat78: No way. Every suggestion helps. And I do the same thing. I put in thoughts when I'm writing reviews and sometimes they sound so stupid to me. But I appreciate it. And that just might make it into my epilogue, where I have a surprise for Kikyo. Mwahaha.**

**Misteryukimura: I will seriously consider it. Love that song. But I don't know where it will fit. And I would like the lyrics. And I still want to know where your penname came from.**

**Yukouchi: Thanks. I try. And I love new faces. Hope you come back for more.**

**LWL: What cake did you _send _me then? And Oreo cheesecake is _really_ good. It's cheesecake and then Oreos on top held on with this gooey fudge. Yum. Am I brilliant? I hadn't noticed. When did _that_ happen? And could you tell that to my high school math teacher?**

**Lyn: …..Hn.**

**Kagomereincarnated: Another new face. Thank you so much. I really tried to make that scene good. And no, I didn't write any of the songs. They're playing on my radio. And the song you're referring to was called 'Mr. Brightside' by The Killers. The ones I write are mostly about how stupid my ex was. One of them is called 'If it was a snake,' as in, 'If it was a snake, it would have bit you.' And 'Love song for a moron,' one of my only slow songs. But I'm not bitter. We're still friends. That's kind of sad actually. Because he was more of an idiot than Inuyasha.**

**MoonlightHanyou: More new faces. Wow. Thank you. And don't cry. See? No cliffy this time.**

**Adam: Thank you so very very much! Sweetheart. I wasn't really sure if the cupboard was funny. But now I know it was. n.n**

**Rain: Yeah. I've always wanted to make Kouga cry. : ) And emotional carnage is not really my strong point, but I think meaningless fluff makes everyone happy.**

**Tawdry Lassie: Aw. Thank you. Maybe you can get those reviewers on MM to review more. But it's all cool. Cheers!**

**Jlanimeluvr: Thanks for the heads up. As I'm writing this, I haven't read it yet. But I will leave you a review when I do. How was lockdown? I remember the oppression of parents. 'Specially since I just got out from under their thumb a mere seven months ago. And in ways I still am under their influence. It sucks. You can _never _get away from them. Little depressing glimpse into the future. : (**

**Akirethegoddess: Glad you like Sonic. They do have excellent food. And if you're ever in the Tulsa part of OK, I just might be your car hop. I just have to figure out how to keep smiling when I only get ten cents as a tip. -.-**

**Also, my beta pointed out that she has no idea what most of the songs I'm writing are. If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now. I am American. And the songs in here are American songs. I'm sorry about that. I know a lot of you aren't from here but I don't know any international songs. If I did, they would be in here. But I can't even listen to the songs since I have no internet at home. Like I pointed out in chapter two, there are lots of places to listen to the songs I have in here. Ya'll know where they are…..**

**Second point that I need to point out. Redundant, I know. This is one of the last chapters. There's going to be maybe five more. I'm estimating. Maybe six. I don't know. But I really need to get back to my other story. I've been writing that for about two years and I'm still not done with it. I've lost my inspiration. Writer's block is a constant battle with that one. It's a canon fic and is getting really boring to write. I don't know. Check it out and tell me what you think, give me some pointers, whatever, just be my muse. If any of you bothered to read this far down that is…..**

**In case anyone was wondering, 'Ay dios mio' means 'Oh my God' in Spanish. Just thought I'd mix up the exclamations a bit.**

**And so, as always:**

**Questions? Comments? R&R.**

**For a better world.**


	10. Big wheels and big dates

**Disclaimer: Rub-a-dub-dub. Three men in a tub….. I'm not even going to go there. I don't own anything. That includes Applebee's and Tama from Fushigi Yugi.**

**Chapter 10: Big wheels and big dates**

"Hello kiddos!" Totosai called at the ungodly hour of nine in the morning. He heard three groans from upstairs and knew they had yet to start their days. "Lazy slugs."

He went to the kitchen and got a drink before trudging up the stairs to wake them. "This is too hard for an old body." He stood in the middle of the hall and took a lungful of air. "Wake up ya lazies!" He shouted. A couple of thuds signaled Sango and Miroku falling out of bed and the growl was Inuyasha's. "Time's a-wastin' and there's records to be made. Hop-to."

Two of the members practically crawled from their rooms and glared at the old man. The third stomped out and stood growling in the hallway.

"We just fell asleep seven hours ago." Sango yawned. "It's not time to get up yet."

"Seven hours is a full night's sleep." He informed them.

"Says who?" Miroku rubbed his eyes.

"Says the National Health Department. Er. The Department of Health and…..some scientist guys."

"Well I don't care what the fuck they said." Inuyasha groused. "I was already awake, so stop shouting."

"And I need my ten hours so good night." Sango started walking back to her room. Miroku followed her.

"Oh, no you don't." Inuyasha pulled back on their shirt collars. "I never thought I'd say this, but Totosai is right. We need to start recording this thing."

"Come on Inuyasha!" Sango whined. "Just three more hours and I can perform at my best."

"I'll give you thirty minutes to get cleaned up and dressed."

She glared and stomped off to her bedroom.

"Wow. And I thought I was the only one that got that glare." Miroku mumbled on the way to his bathroom.

"You did the right thing Inuyasha." Totosai patted his back. "Now, it's time for my lunch."

The hanyou was left staring at the old youkai.

"Lunch?"

**Afterwards, in the basement**

They brought out the tape from the recorder. All of their sessions while on the road were on it.

The boys skipped through about ten minutes of tape for no apparent reason. Sango made a mental note to go back later and see what they were hiding.

After they wrote out their own notes for the songs and set them on the stands in front of them, they were ready.

"Okay kids." Totosai called through the mike on the other side of the sound-proof glass. "This is your first time using this recording studio. So, Inuyasha, no temper tantrums. This is new equipment. Sango, try not to make Miroku crash through anything. And Miroku, uh, good luck. Now let's do this."

The band sighed. He came to all of _one _session and had them pegged. This did not set well with them.

"All right." Inuyasha said. "We'll start with Brightside, just to get it out of the way."

"But I wanted to do Sweetness." Miroku piped up from behind his drums.

"I just want to get this thing done, okay?" Inuyasha explained. "Then we can do Sweetness."

"Fine." He settled back in his seat. "It's all about you isn't it?"

"No, it's-" Inuyasha flipped around. "Don't start okay? I had a bad night."

Sango leaned over. "Dreams about Kagome again?"

"Yes. But not like you think."

He was silent after that and signaled the manager to start recording. They had Mr. Brightside done in just a few minutes. Twenty minutes later they had the re-recordings done, and it was ready to edit and mix. They took a break and listened to it.

"Something is off." Inuyasha muttered. "I don't know what it is, but I want to do it one more time just to be sure."

"For not even _wanting _to do this, you're making us _redo _it a lot." Miroku grumbled.

"Shut up houshi." He growled.

_'Don't take it out on your best friend. It's not his fault you aren't man enough to get her.'_

_'I don't need any flak from you today.'_

_'Aw. Poor baby. Why don't you go cry about it.'_

_'Shut up.'_

_'I will. As soon as you start acting like a man and not a wimp.'_

Inuyasha's growl deepened at his internal dialogue and his band-mates stepped back a few feet.

"Alright, okay, we'll do it one more time. Just don't kill me." Miroku whimpered.

The hanyou came out of his trance and looked around. Now he was starting to truly scare his friends. This had gone on long enough. He needed an outlet. Something to get out this tension inside of him.

"Totosai!"

"Yes?"

"Is there a gym in this place or something?"

"There's a training room upstairs. What are you planning to do?"

"I need to blow off some steam. Is it sturdy?"

"It was built with youkai in mind." He got out of his canvas chair. "Follow me."

The old man took Inuyasha up the stairs and to the backyard.

"Why's it all the way out here?"

"Inuyasha, you know how hard youkai try to work out their frustrations. It would be very destructive to have it inside the house. All those attacks we pull." He chuckled. "It can get a little messy."

The hanyou nodded and stepped inside the metal building.

From the outside, it looked like a fortress. Inside, it looked like a prison.

The domed ceiling was made of bullet-proof plastic and covered in a special flame-retardant gel that had been hardened through a process perfected in the youkai circles eons ago for when they went into battle against each other. There were various weights and punching bags, a treadmill, a fridge (presumably with water in it), and a towel rack. In the center was a giant space with a cement floor perfect for sparring.

"Looks strong enough." Inuyasha muttered and dragged a huge and heavy punching bag to the middle of the floor.

"I'll leave you to it." The old youkai walked back to the basement. He could hear the sound of a heavy fist slowly reducing the sturdy punching bag to dust. "We'll need a new one of those."

Once he entered the studio, Sango and Miroku scrambled from their seats and ran over to him.

"Is he okay?" Sango asked. "Because he didn't look like himself before."

"He's fine." Totosai assured them. "He's still a young pup, trying to get out of hearing the voice inside is my guess."

"Voice inside?" Miroku asked. "I've never heard of that."

"That's because you didn't need to know. Just be aware of the fact that he's listening to a very annoying side of himself that he probably forgot was even there. He'll be fine once he starts _listening _to it."

"A voice inside. Hmm." Miroku started thinking about that. "What's it like? Your conscience?"

"Like you even have one of those to compare it to." Sango said.

"Occasionally." He smiled at her.

Totosai thought about it. "Sort of. Only much more insistent. It wants to be heard. It's like it's watching you all the time. It laughs at your follies. It sees all the things you do. It, well, it's like a whirlwind inside your head. The noise gets to be too much sometimes and that's why he's running away from it. But he can't get away. It will be there when he sleeps, showing him all the things he could have if only he'd listen."

_(AN: Does anyone see where I'm going with this?)_

Sango whistled lowly. "It does all that? Man. I'm glad I'm not youkai."

Miroku was silent on his stool. "This sounds like…..it could be….." He thought some more. "Sango, could you get me some paper please?"

"Get it yourself."

"But," he protested, "you always get Inuyasha paper when he asks for it."

"Well, you're not Inuyasha." She said.

He growled and stood up. "Fine. I'll get it myself."

The monk walked upstairs and to the office. "What did she mean by that? _'You're not Inuyasha'. _Does she like him? Is that why she's so reluctant to come into my arms?" He sighed. "Doubt it. But he did say he's seen her naked. Well, practically naked. It's more than she's ever shown me willingly. Could they have…..? No, they're my friends. And Inuyasha's my best friend. He knows how I feel about her. And he's got Kagome now. He wouldn't. But could _she _feel that way even after he's confessed that he really likes Kagome? No. There's nothing going on between those two. Can't be."

But that little voice he hardly ever heard peeped up_. 'Maybe they could have and you would never even know. How many times have they been alone together?'_

_'Not many.'_

_'But how long were you gone those times? Maybe something happened between them but they stopped it and never told you.'_

_'They couldn't keep a secret like that. I'm just being paranoid.'_

_'Are you?'_

He had to think about that. No, he _was_ just paranoid. Sango and Inuyasha? Now _that_ was comedy. Those two together would be like a time bomb waiting to explode. He could just see it:

_"Inuyasha, can you take out the trash?"_

_"Do it yourself bitch."_

_"Asshole."_

Here's when she slaps him. Then he would get angry and yell more. They would always be fighting and unhappy. It would never work. They were too alike to have a relationship. How could he even have entertained such a thought?

He trotted back downstairs, safe in the knowledge that he was an idiot and knew his best friends like he knew his own hand.

And that was pretty damn good.

"Got it!" He called. "Now, Totosai, could you repeat exactly what you said? I have an idea."

**Training room**

Inuyasha panted as he looked over the wrecked punching bag and treadmill. He'd run the thing into the ground, having it on the highest setting for an hour.

The fridge _was _full of water and he downed a bottle in no time, then wiped the sweat off his face and chest with one of the towels. This room was really helpful. He was calm now. No more ripping off Miroku's head today. He hoped.

The hanyou walked back into the house and saw everyone sitting at the table in the breakfast nook.

They were staring at him.

"Hi." He drawled. "Sorry about the noise."

"That's fine Inu." Miroku smiled. "We barely heard you."

"And I could ignore it." Totosai put in.

"We have another song." Sango said. "And we wanted your opinion on it."

"Really?" Inuyasha walked over and sat down. "Let's have it."

"Okay." Miroku handed him the paper. "Totosai helped a lot."

"He did?" Inuyasha asked distractedly while he read. "This sounds oddly familiar." He set it on the table and looked up. "You _helped_ old man? 'Cause this sounds like a youkai thing to me. You sure you didn't write it for them?"

"Well, it _was_ based on something that happened to me a long time ago." He sat back. "And I figure now you're going through it too. So when your friends asked what was wrong, I explained it as best I could."

"I see." He grumbled. He didn't like them knowing what he was going through. It was his problem not theirs. "Did you tell them why it was happening?"

"I don't know why." Totosai scratched his head. "It could be any number of things."

"Inuyasha," Miroku brought the hanyou's attention to himself, "we all agree that we have enough happy songs on this album. We're known for being moody and we needed a downer. This would be perfect. Will you help us write the music for it?"

"Yeah." He stood. "I'll help. But I'm taking a shower first. I stink."

Sango held her nose. "You didn't need to tell me that. Did you even put on deodorant today?"

"Shut up Sango." He walked upstairs.

"Looks like he's feeling better." Miroku grinned. "Back to his grouchy self."

"Yep. Just like we all know and love." She agreed.

Miroku glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Thankfully, she just looked relieved.

**Later that day**

Inuyasha finished his shower and walked back downstairs.

They recorded two more songs by three in the afternoon and called it a day. They would do the editing tomorrow on those ones and see if they needed any additional tweaks after that.

"Okay kids. Good work." Totosai said. "We'll finish this round up tomorrow and start on some more." He stood from his chair. "And finish that song. I think it'll be a keeper."

"That's just because you helped write it." Inuyasha joked.

"Yes. Well." He shrugged. "I'm not the one singing it." He walked up the stairs. "Now go do, uh, whatever it is you do."

They all laughed once he was out of earshot.

"Did you see him blushing?" Sango gasped. "It's like he's embarrassed that we gave him some credit."

"Maybe we should be more…..appreciative of his contributions." Miroku struggled to keep a straight face.

Inuyasha snorted. "He hardly ever _makes_ any contributions. But we could go easier on him. This _is _his job."

The other two nodded and they all walked up the stairs to find something to do.

"So, Inuyasha….." Sango said.

"What?"

"You gonna call Kagome like I said to do?"

He stopped. Miroku walked into his back.

"Hey!" The monk caught himself on the handrail.

"I don't think so."

"Why not?" The girl shouted.

"I really tanked it last night." He started walking again. "I don't think she'd like to see me again so soon."

"Come on." Sango grilled him. "What did I say? She likes you. She might not act like it at times, but that's only because she _does_ like you. If she didn't she wouldn't have said 'yes' last night."

"You make sense." He nodded. "Sort of."

"So just do it."

"Yeah Inu. The worst she can say is no." Miroku smiled. "How bad can it be?"

_'Humiliating, degrading, heart-wrenching, and would leave me a broken man for, at the very least, a month.'_ He sighed.

The hanyou resigned himself to the fact that they wouldn't shut up until he did it. So he walked to the hall phone when they got upstairs. Then he remembered, he didn't know her number.

"Hey Jijii!" He shouted.

"I'm in the kitchen Inuyasha!" Totosai called back.

Inuyasha walked in to find the fire youkai finishing off an entire chicken.

"Hungry?" He scoffed.

"Not anymore." The bald one said.

"Look, I need Kagome's number and you've got it. So give it."

"What do you need her number for? She lives right across the street."

"How did you know….. Never mind. I can't look her in the face right now, but I need to talk to her." He grumbled. "Otherwise those two'll never get off my back."

"Okay." The youkai got out his cell. "Ah, here it is, 'Young miko'." He wrote it down.

"What did you call her?" Inuyasha absently took the paper.

"What? 'Young Miko'?"

"She's not a miko." Inuyasha reasoned. "Miroku said she had no spiritual aura."

Totosai looked at him straight in the eyes. "Are you serious? You didn't sense it?"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"Well, it is very faint. Guess you've never met a real miko before. They _are _rare and you're young." The hanyou gave a displeased huff. "And she _is_ untrained. The aura around her is very unstable. Probably why Miroku couldn't sense it. But she is most definitely a miko."

"You don't say." Inuyasha thought about it. "She did mention that she lived at a shrine."

"There you go." Totosai took a ham out of the freezer and blew flame over it until it was a toasty black. "Do you want any?"

Inuyasha stared at the meat. "No thanks. You eat it."

"Well, I don't mind if I do." He downed it with one gulp.

The hanyou walked from the kitchen, amazed at the old man's digestive tract. He took the phone off the hook in the hallway and punched in the number his manager had given him.

"Hello?" Kagome's voice was faint and being drowned out by weird music.

"Hello. Kagome?"

"Yes. Who is this?" It got clearer and the music seemed farther away.

"It's Inuyasha."

"Oh, you." Her tone conveyed her reluctance to speak with him. "What do you want?"

"Well, I was wondering if, just maybe, I could make it up to you." He bit his lip.

"Make what up?"

"Last night." He hurried to explain. "I know I wasn't the best date, but I can do better."

Kagome was silent for a few tense seconds. "Why not? I need something to do tonight. Otherwise I'll have images of Kikyo in a bikini in my head forever."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Why's that?"

"We're at a shoot for Glamour's summer catalog."

"Ah. I can see how that would be mentally scarring."

"If you're making fun of me-"

"No! I'm just saying, what girl would want to see _that _in a swim suit?"

"Hn." The girl grunted. "Well I don't know many guys that wouldn't mind."

"Well, I might just prove you wrong."

He could hear her grin over the line. "What time?"

"Huh?"

She laughed. "What time do you want to pick me up? Or do you want me to drive again?"

He coughed. "Much as I love your car, and you driving it, I think _I'll _pick you up."

"Okay. And where do you want to go?"

"I don't know." He thought. "Do you have an Applebee's and maybe a theatre?"

"Yes we do." She got out her date book. "I'm free anytime after eight."

"Sounds good. So I'll pick you up at eight-thirty?"

"How about nine."

"Fine with me."

"Okay. I'll see you then."

"Looking forward to it."

They hung up and Inuyasha danced down the hall to Miroku's room.

"What are you so happy about?" His friend asked him.

"She said yes! Can you believe it?"

The monk's eyebrows shot up. "Barely. So Sango was right."

"Seems like it." He stopped his dance and flopped on the bed next to the man. "I'm picking her up at nine and we're going to dinner and a movie."

"_You're_ picking her up?"

"Yeah."

"In what?"

"Uhhhhhh." He hadn't thought about that.

"You don't have a car. And neither do Sango or I."

"Maybe there's one in the garage."

"I seriously doubt it."

"Well, they've had everything else we needed."

"Yes. But why would they give us a car to escape from the studio in?"

"Good point. I'll go check. Just in case."

"You do that."

The hanyou sprinted off and Miroku laid back down to finish his exfoliation.

"Okay, it says to apply a thin layer and let dry. Easy. Then peel off. No problem. And this one says to scrub abrasively. What? If there is a burning sensation or redness and/or rash call your doctor. If accidentally ingested call a poison control center immediately." He stared at the bottle. "This is what girl's do every week?" He threw the bottles into the bathroom. "Screw that. I don't need 'baby soft skin' _that_ bad."

"Hey Miroku?" Sango called from his door. "Have you seen my face mask and scrub?"

"No dearest." She stared at him suspiciously. "Have you tried my bathroom?" He laughed nervously.

"Why would they be in-"

"Never mind."

"You _stole _them didn't you?"

"I only wanted to have skin as soft as yours, beloved."

"You're creeping me out." She grabbed them off the floor, knowing he was watching her bend over but not caring. "I'm going to leave now." She said slowly and backed out into the hall. "Bye." The girl made a mad dash for her room.

The man left behind sighed. "Maybe I'm coming on too strong."

She made it to her room and leaned on the door once she closed it. "Does he really mean all that stuff?"

Sango sighed and slid down the door. She pulled her knees up to her chest and contemplated the oddness of the male species. "He's too damn confusing. If he likes me so much, why does he always grope me and seem so devious? Peeking on me like that when all I wanted to do was cut my toenails. He's such a dork sometimes. He knows I don't let _anybody_ see my feet."

Inuyasha, meanwhile, had just returned from checking the garage for a car.

"It's not in there." He said to Miroku.

The man looked back up from his ever-present manga. "Told you so." He stood up. "It looks like we'll just have to buy you a car."

"What?"

"You heard me. We've got enough to buy one with _cash _if we wanted to."

"But I don't want to go to a dealership."

"So how do you propose we get a car to pick Kagome up in?"

"We?"

"You. Whatever." He stretched. "Let's just do this thing."

Inuyasha growled but they eventually got out the phonebook and found the dealership pages.

**Later that day**

The two men stepped out of the cab and onto the lot.

Inuyasha looked over the selection. "This is the one you chose."

"What's wrong with it?" Miroku asked, thoroughly confused. He thought it had plenty of good cars.

The hanyou just looked to the left where salesmen swarmed, hoping for that big sale to get them their commission.

Inuyasha looked at Miroku and sighed. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"Can I help you sir?" The first one that got there asked. The others groaned and backed off.

"Yes." Miroku spoke up. He ignored the hanyou's incredulous stare. "We're looking for a car. And we'd like to drive it off the lot today."

Money signs flashed behind the man's eyes. "Well I can most _certainly _help with that. We have the largest selection of brand name vehicles in the tri-county area."

"Thank you Mr……?"

"Sukunami. Or Taka if you prefer." He shook Miroku's hand. "Although my wife calls me Tamahome, but that's a whole other story."

_(AN: hehe. Puns. Get it? Other story? I'll just shut up now.)_

"Right." The young monk drew out with a pleasant smile. "This is my friend, Inuyasha. He's actually the one that's in the market, as it were."

"Hello Inuyasha." Tama tried to shake his hand and only got a grunt. "Right. Okay. Well, we have some excellent choices today. There's actually a special on our Volkswagens. Did you have a certain car in mind?"

"Something big and fast." Inuyasha said shortly.

"He has to keep up with his girlfriend." Miroku added with a wink.

The man smiled. "I know how that is. Women, huh?"

"Yeah." Miroku liked this guy already. "So, you said you're married?"

"Yes." His eyes turned soft as he thought about his wife and child. "Four years now. Miaka's a jewel. I'd do anything for her. And our son is growing up so fast."

"Hear that Inuyasha? A wife _and_ kid. Maybe you should get notes from him."

"Leave me alone. I just want to get this over with."

"Okay." Tama led them over to Corvettes. "These are fast, but they're not very big." He turned around and indicated the Hummers. "And those are big but they're not fast."

"You don't have any that are both?" Miroku asked for his silent friend.

"Not really. The Hummers eventually get up and go, but some people complain about the bulk."

"I never liked their look. Too 'war-zone,' you know?"

The salesman nodded. "Of course there are the trucks." He led them over to the truck section and noticed the friend perk up. "We have many options for these. There's your Ford, the Chevy or-"

"Just show me the fastest, biggest, reddest one you got."

"Can do." Tama led him to one truck that had major potential. "This is a cherry-red Ford F250 quad-cab. Gets up to a hundred and fifteen and has a CD player, air conditioner/heater, automatic transmission, a V-8 engine, whitewall tires, a spacious backseat and four cup holders."

"You can never have too many cup holders." Miroku muttered.

"I like it." Inuyasha said slowly. He looked up at it from below the sixty-five inch tires. "I _really_ like it."

"Would you like a test drive?"

Inuyasha's eyes glittered. "Aa."

**Back at the house**

"I can't believe you're going to pick her up in that monster!" Sango yelled when she found out why they boys had returned in the big-wheel monster truck. "Are you insane!"

"No, he's just crazy in love." Miroku taunted from the passenger's seat.

"Shut up Miroku." Inuyasha jumped out of it. "It's the best truck _ever_ Sango. You have to see it." He picked her up and leapt back in. "Look. All this _and_ four cup holders."

"Well, you can never have too many cup holders." She mumbled.

"That's what I said!" Miroku told her. He leaned over. "So, would you like me to-"

"No."

"Take you to the tractor pull?" He finished in a country accent.

"That's not what I thought you were going to say." She stated lamely.

"I know."

"Do you think she'll like it?" Inuyasha asked them.

"I think she'll be shocked." Sango said.

"And amazed." Miroku added cheerily. "What girl wouldn't like to be on top of the world?"

"I don't know." Sango said deadpan, tilting her head to the side.

"Speaking of which." Miroku grinned. "How about I rock your world?"

"Now that I _knew _was coming." Sango sighed. "Inuyasha, how do I get out of this thing?" She looked past him at the ground far below.

"Just jump out." He demonstrated. "And if you can't do it, I'll catch you." He shouted up.

"Okay." She leaned out of the door and turned around. Slowly she slipped out of the truck and landed on her own two feet. "That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Miroku walked around the back and stood next to her. "Yeah. The trick is to not look down."

"I see."

"What time is it?" Inuyasha asked them.

Sango looked at her watch. "Um, seven-fifteen."

"I've got two hours."

"Counting down the minutes huh?"

"I want everything to go right this time. So I have to work out any anger before I go. Then get cleaned up and dressed. What do you think she'll like? The suit jacket or the t-shirt? And then I have to get her some flowers. Chicks like flowers, right Sango?" She nodded. "And then there's the directions. I don't even know where we're going or the show times. What movie will she want to see?"

"Nervous?" Miroku asked.

"Terrified." He confessed. "What if someone tries to hit on her and I hit him instead?"

"Relax." Sango soothed. "Clear your head and do what you have to do to get ready."

"Right. Relax." He breathed in. "I'm relaxing." He dashed off to the house.

"Think he'll be okay?" Sango asked the man beside her.

"He'll be fine." Miroku shook his head. "They're perfect for each other."

"Yeah." The girl sighed and began walking in.

"Hey, Sango?" He asked from beside her.

"What?"

"Have you and Inuyasha ever….. You know?"

She stopped walking. "Why would you even _think _something like that?"

"I don't know." He scratched his head. "Just." The boy sighed, searching for the right words. "Sometimes you two seem so familiar with each other."

"He's my best friend Miroku. Of course I'm familiar with him."

"Yeah." He sighed. "I'm an idiot."

She watched as he walked off shaking his head. Her heart cried out for him to be okay and start acting normal. But maybe that's what she loved about him. That he was a little odd.

She took a cassette from her pocket. "Now to see what they were so freaked about. What is on this tape that they wouldn't want me to hear?"

**Hello peoples! Two in one day. You love me right? This chapter was written in two days, but the other one took like five. And I'm sorry about the wait. I've been meaning to get online for like a week, but I haven't found the time. Anyway. Love you all and I hope you review. For me. Mainly my sanity and self-image.**

**Sorry for the minor cliffy. I'm in the process of writing chapter 11. Can't believe I wrote more in three weeks than I did in six months. Anyway, I really hope you still like this and think it is funny. It feels like it's turning more towards fluff with me, but I'm struggling to keep it hilarious.**

**So, with no gilding the lily and without any further ado-**

**R&R**

**PS: A sample of my cat's writing-**78y7uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu7 **-Now he's trying to eat my pencil. I think he wishes he had opposable thumbs so he could pick it up easier. He's so cute. But he acts like a demon kitty over half the time. Hmmm.**


	11. Montage

**Disclaimer: Mary was too busy trying to keep her little, white lamb out of school to even attempt to get them for me. Or The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Song is called 'Maps', telling you beforehand so I don't get questions about it. Again, good to listen to that song while reading that section.**

**Chapter 11- Montage. (Oooh. Big word.)**

Nine o'clock rolled around and Inuyasha was ready. He had gotten out any leftover aggression and pre-date jitters on the remaining punching bag, decided on the suit jacket _with_ the t-shirt, found directions and gotten a show time for ten forty-five. Things were well on their way to being a perfect evening.

Then he got to Kagome's place. She wasn't ready.

She'd had an hour and she wasn't ready.

He couldn't believe that. But he was glad that he had waited.

Ten minutes in the foyer later, his angel descended the stairs looking like, well, an angel. Her lips were painted red, his favorite color, and she had on a loose-fitting black dress that tied under her bosom with a red ribbon. Tonight, she wore flats. She might be shorter but at least she wouldn't fall over her own two feet. She didn't know what he was planning and tripping just might happen. Lastly, her hair hung in a loose bun, tendrils falling and framing her face in soft curls.

"Wow," he whispered.

"Glad you like it." She twirled quickly and walked past him. His eyes followed her to the door. "Are you gonna stand there staring all night or are we going to go?"

"Right." He shook himself and trotted to the door.

With a hand to the small of her back, he guided her to his new car. She gasped. He moved in front of her, holding his breath. Why was her approval so important to him? The look on her face was summed up in one word.

Ecstatic.

"Wow."

"Do you like it?" He slapped one of the wheels. "I just got her today."

"Her?"

"Well, I figure I oughta name it if it's gonna be my baby. So, I named her Izayoi."

Kagome didn't know if she wanted to smile or not. He'd named his truck, which was adorable. But he'd named it after a girl.

"Who's Izayoi?"

"My mom." He half smiled. "She would have ripped me a new one for buying something like this."

She laughed at herself. "I see."

"Yeah. When I drive this, I can hear her saying to me, 'Sweetheart. You're going to kill somebody in this thing!'" He said in a high voice that made Kagome giggle. "It's a comforting thought." His eyes misted and he tried to hide it from her.

She smiled at him. "_That's_ a comforting thought?"

A short laugh. "For me? Yes."

"If it makes you any less uncomfortable, I named my Neon, Buyo."

"Why's that?"

"Our shrine cat back home." She laughed. "He doesn't look like much, but he can move if you step on his tail hard enough."

"Gas pedal, right?" He chuckled.

"Of course." She smiled widely at him. "So, where to first?"

He grinned.

**Later that night**

"I can't believe you said that to him!" Kagome squealed.

"What?" Inuyasha smiled. "Get bent?"

"YES!" She ran down the sidewalk to the truck. "That was so seventies!"

"We just got done watching a seventies remake. What do you expect to be on my mind?"

"I don't know." She attempted to climb back in. "But 'get bent' is not included in my mind when some guy hits on me." Her leg didn't quite reach the footboard. "Did you see his face? He looked so confused."

"Very funny, I'll admit. But," he shrugged, "better than trying to fight him off right?" He held her thighs and lifted her with ease.

"I guess." She tried to catch her breath. His hands were so warm against her movie theater cold skin. "Thank you. And don't look up my dress."

"You're welcome." He laughed and walked over to the driver's side. With one giant leap, he was in.

"That is _so_ not fair," Kagome mumbled.

"What?"

"That!" She pointed at his door. "You just jump in, but I can't even climb up.

"So I'll just keep helping you in. Not a big deal."

She smiled and shook her head while he started the engine and pulled out. They were back to her house too quickly for either's taste. He jumped down first and ran over to her side.

"Inuyasha," she called.

He looked up to see her falling down. Holding out his arms, he barely caught her in time.

"What are you doing!" He asked after they stopped spinning.

"Well, you were there and I knew you'd catch me, so I thought I'd take the faster way down."

"You're not baggage, you know." He noticed she was still held tight to his chest by his own arms. She slowly found her feet. "Just warn me next time."

She giggled and smiled up at him. "Okay."

The couple walked to her door. Kagome fiddled with her keys. She couldn't seem to find the right one. Or maybe it was nerves. Inuyasha stilled her hand and got out the one he'd seen her use the night before.

"Here." He handed them back to her.

"Thanks," she whispered. "So I _did _have a good time tonight. Really."

He smiled. "I did too. Really."

"So, I'll see you…..?"

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." She smiled and put her key in the door. "'Night."

"Goodnight." He watched her step in and heard her sigh against the wood.

The smile would not escape his face as he drove the truck across the street to park it in the driveway. It was still there when he walked in and faced his friends' curious gazes. And it wouldn't leave when he walked past them and up the stairs to brush his teeth for the night. The brushing got a little messy, what with his open mouth, but he didn't care.

She liked him.

If that little sigh meant something else entirely then he would take a bath with Miroku. And she was always smiling and laughing tonight. Even when he got tongue-tied at the ticket counter and blurted out something about his manhood when he was trying to make his order. And she still wanted to see him the next night. This was the best day of his life. No doubt rivalling the day they signed with Shikon Records.

Miroku walked in as he was rinsing out the toothbrush.

"So? How did it go?" The monk had never seen his friend smiling so wide. "Uh, you know that'll stain if you leave it there, right?" He pointed to the toothpaste on Inuyasha's shirt.

"I don't care." He wiped the glob off with his finger. "I really think she likes me."

Miroku smiled. "Really? Why?"

"She wants to see me tomorrow." He looked down at the tiles. "And she looked totally hot too. Just for me." He looked back up. "I was a total dumb-ass half the time, but she still wants to see me."

The drummer chuckled. "So, you kiss her?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"What's with all the questions?" The hanyou lost his smile.

"I just want to know all the gory details." He smiled innocently.

"You pervert." He walked into his room to change. "Just 'cause you ain't gettin' any action don't mean I gotta tell you about mine."

"True. But you would if you did, right?"

Inuyasha stared him down.

"Okay. I get the point." He backed up. "Well. Guess I'll just go to bed."

"You do that." He stripped off his shirt. "By the way, thanks for making me go to that dealership. She loved the truck."

"She did?" His voice conveyed surprise, but at a look from the hanyou he changed it. "I mean, she did! Of course she did." He backed out of the door. "Well, 'night." He ran to his room.

Inuyasha shook his head and the smile came back. He thought about their date and how much he was fretting over it. Then he took out some paper and started writing. Looking over his completed work, he knew they'd like it as their seventh song. Countdown to record quota: six more.

He just hoped they didn't mind another happy, upbeat song.

"Oh, man!" He shouted to himself. "I forgot to get her flowers!"

**Next day**

Miroku and Sango loved the song. And when he asked if they minded, they said they didn't.

"We'll just tote it as our new sound," Sango nodded.

"Yeah, bands change their style all the time before they figure it out," Miroku added. "I mean, just look at Good Charlotte. Clean Punk to Goth in three records. And you could _so _see it coming."

_(AN: Please do _not_ make fun of me for putting them in here. They're my boys! I love Good Charlotte almost as much as Bowling For Soup.)_

Inuyasha thought it over. "Alright. If all else fails, we could just name it 'The Fucking Happy Album'."

Sango snorted. Miroku tried to hold back a smile. "I don't think the label will go for that."

"Fine. 'The Happy Album', better?"

**Six hours later**

They listened to the recordings from the day before, made any re-recordings that were necessary, and recorded one more song. Sounds like all the work they needed to do for the day. They still had almost the whole two months to blow. Minus one week.

"Great work today kids." Totosai said. "We'll finish this tomorrow and I'll give you some time off after that."

"You are so generous," Sango muttered and climbed the stairs.

"What's the matter with her?" Miroku asked. "She's been more sarcastic than usual all day. And really grouchy too."

Inuyasha sniffed. "PMS."

"Ah."

Sango made it to her room. She couldn't believe that someone had taped over the mysterious ten minutes with Miroku singing in the shower. At least she hoped it was a tape over.

As if her cramps weren't torture enough.

He didn't have a bad voice. Usually. But you know how it gets in the shower…..

Men should NEVER try to sing _any_ woman's song.

Ever.

Especially 'Natural Woman'.

It just wasn't natural. _(AN: Hehe. Puns.)_

_'He isn't secretly gay is he?'_

She thought about it. All the groping and innuendos.

"Naw."

**Next Tuesday**

Inuyasha and Kagome took Miroku and Sango for Amateur night at The Pink Jewel. Kamikaze won again, this time with a song of their own that even Inuyasha had to admit was good.

**Later that week**

It was a quiet day.

Miroku only got knocked unconscious once, and Kagome came over for a chick-flick night with Sango.

The boys decided to crash it.

Sad to say that Miroku was sorely disappointed to find that all those old movies of girls in lingerie having pillow fights was not an accurate description. It was more like girls with green facemasks in ratty old t-shirts and shapeless pajama bottoms, crying over something sappy some guy just said onscreen.

And then they got suckered into being the girls' teddy bears, to hold when they needed something to hug.

Which neither disagreed to.

**The next, next Tuesday**

Pink Jewel again.

This time the four went together, like last time, but Kamikaze had some stiff competition, _un_like last time.

A new band was getting major applause votes. The Amateur Night regulars were not let down, however, when the four girls took to the stage.

Their hair and make-up was subdued, compared to other nights, and the frantic appearance that their wardrobe usually put off was sobered with a single flower in each of the girls' hair and skirts instead of baggy jeans.

The crowd knew they were not going to see the normal happy-go-lucky Kamikaze they were used to and were excited about what they would hear. You could almost taste the anxiety in the air when Kagura began strumming a high note over and over.

Ayame joined her with a steady drumbeat. Then Rin joined with the melody while Kagura continued to strum the one high note.

_Pack up_

_I'm straight_

_Enough_

_Oh say, say, say_

_Oh say, say, say_

_Oh say, say, say_

_Oh say, say, say_

_Oh say, say, say_

Kanna joined in and beat the bass line to the melody while Rin changed it up with an even higher pitched chorus.

_Wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

_Wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

_Ma-a-a-a-aps, wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

A smooth transition to the beginning was made while Kagura completed the chorus.

_Made off_

_Don't stray_

_My kind's your kind_

_I'll stay the same_

_Pack up_

_Well don't stray_

_Oh say, say, say_

_Oh say, say, say_

_Wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

_Wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

_Ma-a-a-a-aps, wait_

_Well, they don't love you like I love you_

_Wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

_Ma-a-a-a-aps, wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

Kanna got her first solo that the gang had ever seen. She was really good too, playing up and down the frets like a pro. The pale girl made a quick change to Rin's melody and Kagura began singing again, all the while quickly strumming the one high note.

_Wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

_Wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

_Ma-a-a-a-aps, wait_

_Well, they don't love you like I love you_

_Wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

_Ma-a-a-a-aps, wait_

_They don't love you like I love you_

Kanna's solo made a reappearance. Ayame pounded the song to a conclusion and it tapered off with Kagura's high note still being strummed quickly.

The applause was deafening and everyone knew that the girls had won another one. The announcer threw his cards in the air and walked off stage.

Dinner was served shortly after, but the band had a hard time keeping quiet about the song they had just heard.

"Did you notice how that one chick just kept on that one note the entire song?" Miroku said while he chewed. "Wouldn't her hand cramp up?"

"Mouth," Sango grumbled.

"Thanks." He got his napkin and dabbed.

"You mean the one that sang it? Kagura?" Kagome asked him.

"Yeah." His eyes got dewy. "It was like she was singing to me. Man, she was hot."

The couple in front of him sighed while Sango beat some sense into the monk.

**Sometime in-between**

Since their first date they had been practically inseparable. It was hard to find one without the other. Kagome had even sat in on a few sessions. It was fun watching the creative process. Especially since they were almost done with the album.

One time, while they were taking a break from recording, she had asked Inuyasha where they got the ideas for most of their songs. Sango and Miroku were getting lunch and the old man was visiting the little youkai's room, so they could speak freely.

"From life," he'd told her. "Whatever we feel or whatever happens to us, it usually ends up in a song."

"So who were you thinking about when you wrote, 'I hate everything about you'?"

"I didn't write that. Sango did."

"Sango? Then was she writing it about Miroku?"

"Yeah." He tuned his guitar. "The only part I wrote was that little 'You hate everything about me' line to throw him off the trail."

"But that song sounds so-" She groped for the words. "Does that mean they're…..you know?"

He laughed. "It does come off kind of 'you know', doesn't it? But it's just about them fighting and how she can never miss him because he's never gone."

"Oh." She looked around. "And Last Resort?"

"It's a combination of us all." He set down the guitar. "I lost my mom, that was my verse. I lost all feeling for anyone for a long time. Miroku went through a cutting phase when his dad got killed right in front of him. He didn't want to live, then Mushin took him in. That was before I met him though. And Sango nearly went crazy, literally, trying to balance school and training and her family. It was just a lot of painful memories set to music. The song made them easier to deal with."

"Oh," she whispered. That subject wasn't brought up again.

**One Month Later (big jump)**

Monday night at Cue Stick was ladies night. Free shots for lady guests and Inuyasha made sure Kagome took advantage of that. She managed to get them two shots each before their waitress realized what she was pulling.

By then they had played all the games they wanted. Inuyasha let Kagome win three of them. He won the fourth just to keep his dignity.

"You let me win those three didn't you?"

"No way."

She scrutinized his face for any signs of deceit. "Fine. But if I ever find out you did….."

"What? You'll _spank _me?"

"If you're lucky." She threw him a saucy smirk and hopped up into his truck. "I love this thing. Especially now that I can actually get in it."

"I'm glad." He joined her. "I did buy it for you."

"Really?"

"Well, mostly for me. But I had you in mind."

"Aw. That's so sweet." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks." He blushed slightly.

She giggled.

They made it back to Kikyo's house and Kagome tried to jump out. Two shots did nothing to impair her judgment, but she made it look like it did. It was more fun that way.

"Inuyasha, could you help me get out?" She leaned over and looked down at him.

"Sure." He held out his arms. "Come on."

She smiled and jumped. "Thanks."

He held her tighter. "No problem." She licked her lips and he followed her tongue's path back into her mouth. After taking a deep breath, he let her slide to her feet.

She stayed in his arms, looking up at him with a contemplative look on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" He couldn't help that he was curious.

"Whether I should invite you in or not," she answered truthfully.

He smirked. "And it's that hard of a decision?"

"Yes." She let out a small laugh. "If I do, will you think I'm doing it because I'm drunk?"

He thought about it. "Yes."

"So _would_ you come up?"

"No." Thinking was not required on that one.

"Good." She stepped from his arms and walked to her door.

"H-hey!" Inuyasha trotted up to her once he realized she was gone. "You free tomorrow?"

"I have to work the rest of this week," she distractedly said while she looked for her keys. "Kikyo has a shoot in Hawaii and guess who has to come with?"

"Her assistant," he grumbled. "When are you getting back?"

"Next Monday."

"Oh." He looked down. "Then I'll see you on Monday?"

She grinned. "I'd like that."

"Good." He wet his lips and moved closer. His arms wrapped around her and his head stopped mere inches from her upturned face. "I really like spending time with you."

Her smile didn't fall, even though she was a little disappointed. "Good." She closed the gap.

Once more, the fire ignited in her belly. How he could get her wet with one kiss amazed her. She pulled out of his arms before he could take it deeper.

"'Night, Inuyasha." She unlocked the door.

"Goodnight Kagome," he breathed.

The look in his eyes conveyed everything she needed to know. He wasn't a very vocal person and she understood that. But there were hundreds of little ways he showed her that he cared for her without saying a word. That look was one that she had come to cherish in the short time she'd known him.

Inuyasha climbed back into the truck and backed out while she watched him.

"Okay boy," he spoke to his pants, "behave yourself. And go down for God's sake."

_(AN: From what I hear (and have heard), men talk to their 'packages' a lot. I've begun to wonder why we talk about 'women problems' all the time but not things like boys having erections every ten minutes, er, something like that. Hmmm. Food for thought.)_

**The week in review**

_**Tuesday:**_

"All he's done all day is mope," Sango commented.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled from the kitchen. "I made ramen."

"Don't want it," the man in question called back.

The two looked at each other.

"Do you want to go to the Jewel tonight?" Sango tried.

He had always looked forward to it before. Their table in the dark corner was practically reserved for them every Tuesday and no one recognized them in the dim haze of the restaurant.

"Not without Kagome."

"At least we tried." Miroku laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. She was surprised when it didn't move any lower.

_**Wednesday:**_

"Sango, do you think he'll be okay?" Miroku asked.

"He'll be fine." Sango sighed, looking at her friend. "As soon as Kagome gets back."

"Shut up you two." Inuyasha growled from his, seemingly permanent, place on the couch.

_**Thursday:**_

"Inuyasha," Sango called. "We're going for ice-cream."

"Unless the ice-cream parlor is in Hawaii, I don't wanna go."

Miroku grabbed his keys. "Fine, but we're taking your truck."

"Keh. Like you can even get in it."

"He has a point," Sango mumbled.

"Fine." Miroku sighed. "Looks like I need a car of my own."

Sango stared at him. Finding that he wasn't joking, she shrugged. "As long as we get me one too."

"Will do."

Their plans for dessert were cancelled.

_**Friday**_

"I still can't believe you got _that,_" Miroku said to Sango.

"It's better than your _penis-mobile_."

"Hey, my Mustang is _way_ better than your VW van."

"I _like_ my van, thank you."

"And I _like_ my convertible."

"You don't think people will think you're gay riding around in a purple Mustang?"

"Shouldn't you be more worried that people will think you're an old hippie driving around in that pink deathtrap?"

"Stop fighting guys." Inuyasha called from the couch. "You're giving me a headache."

_**Saturday:**_

"Inuyasha, give me the remote," Sango tried to dive over him for it.

"No." He hugged it closer to himself.

"But you're not even watching it," she punctuated her ire with a slap to his thigh.

"So?" He grumbled. "Soon as I give it to you, you're going to turn it way up."

"But Teen Titans is on," she whined. "And it's a new one."

"Hn."

"Just give her the remote," Miroku said. "That Raven chick is hot."

He grudgingly handed it over. "Fine, but I'm not staying in here to watch it."

Sango tumbled off his hip when he suddenly stood. "But you love Teen Titans."

He went to his room and laid down without another word.

"Apparently, not as much as he loves Kagome," Miroku whispered.

_**Sunday:**_

"Come on. She'll be back tomorrow," Miroku reasoned with the hanyou. "We need to get you out of this house."

"I don't want to leave," he growled. "What if she calls and I miss it?"

"She's called everyday at the same time all week." The monk pulled on his arm. "You won't miss it."

"But what if-"

"No." Miroku tugged harder. "She calls at nine and you talk until ten. That's your routine."

"I want to be here if she calls before that."

"Sango!" The exasperated monk yelled. "Help me!"

The girl leaning on the doorjamb, walked over and grabbed Inuyasha's other arm.

"Let go!" Inuyasha grumbled. "I'm not leaving." He pulled his arms away from them.

The two left the room.

"I can't believe we forgot about his strength," Miroku growled.

"He's been a slug for the past week. It was an easy thing to forget."

_**Monday:**_

Inuyasha drove as quickly as he could to the airport. She was coming home today and he wanted to be there at the gate when she stepped off the plane.

Unfortunately, this could not happen like it does in the movies.

"Damn security." He growled as he waited in the visitors' area. "Why can't I go up there?"

"Because some idiots rammed a plane into a national monument," the most beautiful voice in the world said from behind him.

He turned around quickly. "Kagome." His arms were around her faster than the human eye could see.

"I missed you too, Inuyasha," she hugged him back.

The hanyou breathed deeply from her hair. It's fragrance curled around his nose like a long lost friend. He'd never forgotten it. And never would, if he had anything to say about it.

"I missed you so much Kagome," he confessed. "I thought I was going to go crazy."

She giggled. "That's good to hear."

He pulled back enough to see her face. A finger traced her jaw and over her plump lips. Then his own came crashing down, taking her breath away.

Kagome broke it for breath. "Wow." Was all her hazy mind could convey.

"Let's go home." He didn't give her a choice. She was lifted into his arms before she knew it and he was walking to the parking lot.

"My bags," she reminded him.

"Screw it," was the barked reply.

The girl laughed. "I need them Inuyasha."

He growled and set her down. "Fine. But as soon as I get them, you're coming with me."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled up at him.

**Later that night**

They decided to stay in that evening. Kagome was still suffering from jet lag and Inuyasha didn't want to chance her falling asleep before the night was over in some movie theater or restaurant booth. Miroku and Sango had gone to Blockbuster and they were left alone.

"How long does it take to get a movie?" Kagome asked after twenty minutes.

"At least an hour for those two." Inuyasha mumbled into her hair. "They can't agree on anything."

The miko smiled. "So what do you want to do for the next hour until they get back?" She turned in his arms.

A fang peeked out as he smirked. He pounced on her before her mind could register what was going on.

"Oh," was all she got out before his lips descended on hers.

Liquid fire was pooling at the base of her loins. He growled softly for her and the vibrations sent a shock wave through her chest, rubbing his own gently across her taut globes. Inuyasha's hand had somehow found it's way up to her breast and was plucking at the hardening peak underneath her thin shirt.

Gasping, they broke for much needed air. Inuyasha stared deeply into Kagome's eyes. It had been so long for him since he had been able to even see her. How had she gotten so far under his skin that he couldn't go a day without hearing her voice, a second without thinking of her sweet face?

He knew at this point that the voice inside was right. Only she could make him happy. And he intended to make it official. The golden eyes softened and his head dipped low again, gently capturing her swollen lips for a brief second. Her chocolate orbs drifted shut and he attempted to tell her what he wanted through his soft touch. Almost before it began, he pulled back.

She forced her eyes to open and look at him. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I've never been so sure of anything in my life." He leaned down once more and captured her lips in the sweetest of caresses. "I love you Kagome." The man breathed in her ear once they'd separated.

"Me?" She gasped.

"Yes." He kissed her again. "There's never been anyone else."

"I love you too," she choked out.

His smile was as gentle as his kiss. She gave in without hesitation.

_'Finally,' _the youkai breathed and tried to take over.

Red warred with gold as his hands occupied themselves. One moved from her back and trailed slowly across her flat stomach. Her cotton top was no match for his claws and she moaned when they traced along her sensitive skin. The hand kept moving until it found the bottom of her shirt and climbed up. He smoothed his palm upwards over her stomach and she arched into the touch. Her bra was in his way. She giggled when he growled and tried to worm his way under it.

"Hey kids," Totosai called from behind them.

Inuyasha flattened himself over Kagome, growling. No one saw what was his!

"I know she's there Inuyasha." He sighed. "I have ears you know."

The old man's voice snapped his concentration and the gold returned. The two detangled themselves and sat up, vainly trying to straighten their clothes.

"So, what are we watching?" He sat on the other end of the couch.

"Don't know yet," Inuyasha growled at the old youkai for wrecking the mood.

Kagome was trying to control her fierce blush. She couldn't believe she'd almost done that. What would have happened if the old man hadn't interrupted? Well, duh, she'd have been deflowered. She decided she wasn't ready to go through with it, no matter how strong her feelings for him were.

And she silently thanked the old man for interrupting when he did.

Miroku and Sango walked in, loudly announcing that their trip didn't take as long as originally thought.

"We couldn't decide between Van Helsing-"

"Hot chick," Miroku cut in.

Sango growled. "And House of Flying Daggers-"

"Ditto."

"So we got both," she finished with a slap to the monk's head.

"Sounds great Sango." Kagome finally got her blush under control.

"Good." She held them up. "Which one first?"

**Much later that evening**

Movie night was a success. They watched both videos and had a blast. Around three am, both girls were passed out on the couch, popcorn was everywhere, and the old man was snoring in the recliner.

Inuyasha stood up. "Good movies, Miroku."

"Yeah." The man turned his gaze to the hanyou. "But I think we're the only ones that made it through."

"What?" The monk nodded at the couch. "Should we wake them up?"

"It's up to you. I can carry Sango to bed." He lifted the taijiya from the sofa without waking her up. "'Night." He moved to the stairs and ascended them with no trouble.

Inuyasha looked at his girlfriend. At least, he thought she was his girlfriend. They'd never labeled their relationship, but after tonight…..

He'd almost made her his mate. For life. Once you screw for love and not just out of need, that was it. You were stuck together for better or worse, 'til death do you part. He'd never explained that to her. Maybe it was a good thing they'd been interrupted.

He picked her up and carried her to his room. It might have been more appropriate for her to sleep in the guest room, the one _not_ occupied by the old man, but he wanted her near him.

At least until he made sure she wasn't going to run off to Hawaii again.

He would think of the repercussions of his actions in the morning.

**Okay. That's another one. Hope you weren't too disappointed. I skipped around through a month of them going on dates and recording and all that boring stuff. Then I was about to have them consummate, but I remembered it might be a bit abrupt. Plus, for a girl that's been saving it for twenty-three years, she wouldn't just spread 'em after one month.**

**So, for any that wanted a lemon, you have to wait. I don't want to take all that time towrite it and then get the entire thing kicked off. Oh, and please don't report me if I make it too steamy. Tell me and I'll fix it. I'm very flexible.**

**And I'm so sorry I'm taking so long. I write about one to two chapters a week, but I can't get to the library everyday when gas is $3.50 a gallon. I'll try harder, but unfortunately my imagination won't get me across town. And I don't want to slam you guys with five chapters after a months wait. It would take you so long to read mine, you wouldn't have time to read others work. And I don't want to take away from my fellow fanfiction artists when I know how much dedication and work it is to write a chapter or two and not have anyone review them.**

**This one goes out to all the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. It's a horrible tragedy and I know we're all sick of being reminded of the heartbreak caused by Mother Nature, but it's been on my mind lately. I have to say that living in Oklahoma, we have tornadoes that are extremely destructive but they only last for a couple hours and are localized to about a two to three mile radius. I can only imagine what it was like going through that and then losing everything you have. My great-grandma lives in Mississippi and she was really lucky. Hattiesburg only got the tail end of it and she lost the pear tree and pecan tree that has given us cobblers, pies, and other delights for decades and a few shingles. Mainly all she got was a scare. So I'm very grateful for that.**

**For everyone else, this chapter is for you.**

**Now that I've said that and gotten all that gravity aside, here's some review replies:**

**_Havokmastr3133: _Thank you for your kind words. Hope you come back for more.**

**_Ryoko Ao Midori: _Was this fast enough?**

**_Adam: _Thanks for both reviews. And, yes, he is a bit of a nitwit when it comes to love. But aren't we all? And thanks for your concern. I hope I get a raise too.**

**_Demonpreistess07: _I agree, Tamahome is _way_ hot. Miaka's so lucky. Next to Inuyasha, I would say Fushigi Yugi is my favorite. Even though I've only read the manga and haven't seen the anime.**

**_Kagomereincarnated: _Thanks for coming back. I think my taste in music is good too. **

**_MoonlightHanyou: _Yes. Writer's block blows. Hope yours goes away soon. And thank you for both reviews. I think all us writers know how precious every single one is.**

**_Kurimusonchishio: _ Thank you. How could I forget my story? It's my baby. I have two more chapters written but I have to keep it on the DL. ;)**

**_Tawdry Lassie: _Good to see you back. First review as usual. ;) Yes it was a Linkin Park song. You're the only one that got that. Or at least the only one that said anything about it. Good eye. And your cat _does_ sound a lot like mine. Boo loves to stare at the screen like he can read it. He's adorable. I love my kitty. But he's gotten so big! Only four months old and he's already bigger than my forearm. Eats like a horse too. I'm thinking he's gonna be a hoss like Buyo.**

**_InuGrrrl:_ Wow. Means a lot. Loved submission by the way. Very kinky. ;) Though I have no idea what song that is. Are they from America or somewhere else?**

**_Kittycat78:_ Aww. Sweetheart. Bless your soul. Gack! I'm turning into my grandmother. Thank you so much. I try my hardest.**

**Thank you all for everything. We're getting closer so let's keep those reviews coming!**

**R&R. For my sanity.**


	12. Ain't nothing wrong with that

**Disclaimer: Old Mother Hubbard had nothing in her cupboard. So why would she be able to get them for me if she couldn't even buy food for her dog? And I don't own Gorillaz or Evanescence or Tasuki from FY. Sorry for the confusion to the contrary. This one's for you Keith.**

**Chapter 12: Ain't nothin wrong with that…**

As it happens, usually, in nature, the male woke first.

Inuyasha yawned and turned to the heat beside him. _'She's still here.'_

Taking in her sleep-pouty lips, tussled hair, and flushed face, he couldn't stop staring. As his eyes moved lower, he noticed her fist curled delicately by her cheek while it's twin grasped his shirt to hold him still. He was enraptured by the way her shoulder sloped to a slim waist only to flare at her hip when he saw it through the blanket.

Struck by inspiration, he gently removed her hand from it's twisting grip in his shirt and found the paper with the ideas he'd been writing since he met her. It was getting to be long and most of it didn't match. But he didn't care. This song would never be made.

He had realized, sometime over the last month, that this was the song of their relationship. Chronicling every big event that happened between them. As well as all the things he could never say to her for fear she would think him 'odd'.

_I just wanna look at you, all day. There ain't nothin wrong, no, there ain't nothin wrong with that. Once you seep in, under my skin, there's nothing in this world that can wash you away._

Charming little verse. Perfect for conveying their newfound love. It would be a slow section, he decided.

She started stirring in his bed and he moved quickly to her side.

"Morning." He breathed.

Her eyes shot open. "Wha-?" Seeing who it was, she relaxed. "Morning." His beautiful miko smiled.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Better than I have in months." She confessed with a grin. "What happened last night?"

"You passed out during the last movie and I figured you could just crash here."

"Thanks." She got up. "I better get going. Kikyo needs me to find her a new masseur." She sneered before rolling her eyes and smiling again.

Inuyasha didn't think it was funny. "Why do you put up with her?" The hanyou growled. "She doesn't respect you, she does nothing but make you perform menial tasks to benefit her, _and_ she's a mega-bitch. Why don't you just get a normal job?"

Kagome's smile turned to an angry frown. "Normal? What do you know about normal? You're a celebrity with the hottest band since Bon Jovi! You were invited to perform at the Grammy's you're first year on the market for cripes sake!" She turned to the door. "I'll let myself out."

He grabbed her elbow. "I'm just saying you can do a lot better than her. You're talented _and _beautiful. _You_ should be the model, not _her_."

His words, although well meaning, brought up horrible memories of rejection and humiliation. She shrugged out of his hold. "Look, my talent and beauty are not on trial here. This is all I'm qualified to do. Mama said I should've gone to college, but did I listen? No. And I'm not pretty enough for those stiffs at the agency, so get off my back." She scoured the floor for her shoes, which she just noticed were missing. "I don't need to explain anything to you." Her red sneakers were hurriedly put on as she stomped for the door again.

The fact that she had just explained _everything_ to him went unnoticed. He rolled his eyes.

"You could be my assistant." He offered hopefully.

She glared, turned, and left.

His fist repeatedly hit his pillow, but the fluff did nothing to quench his ire. It took a few minutes before he calmed down enough to think about it. Looking back, he saw it was all his fault. Another fight. They were always having them. And he usually started them. He felt awful.

Picking up the pen again, he wrote the words he never got a chance to say.

_I'm sorry. So sorry. You're beauty is so vain. It drives me. Yes, it drives me, absolutely insane._

"This sounds like that verse I threw away back at the hotel." He shrugged. "Might as well just have it twice. This song is screwed up anyway."

Miroku walked in and saw his friend sitting forlornly at the small desk in a corner of his room.

"What happened?" He yawned. "You guys woke me up."

"Sorry." Inuyasha stood and shoved the paper into the drawer. "We had another fight."

"I know. About her job." The monk looked around. "So…..she left?"

"Yeah."

"Tough break."

The hanyou stormed past him to get some breakfast.

Totosai was already in the kitchen eating his breakfast of eggs, sunny-side up, and bacon, scorched to a blackened perfection.

"Hello Inuyasha." He greeted the disgruntled young man. "Busy morning?"

"You don't know the half of it." He grumbled and dug through the fridge for the last bagel.

"Well you better get ready." The old youkai put his yolky plate in the sink.

"What do you mean?" He put the bagel in the toaster.

"You have auditions for warm-up bands today."

"That's today!" The cream cheese fell on the floor.

"You better clean that up." Totosai went to the living room and turned on the TV.

The hanyou leapt into the room and landed in front of the television, hands on his hips.

"I thought you hadn't even put out the word yet."

Totosai looked around him to see Martha. "I hired men to put up posters last week."

Inuyasha went back to the kitchen, mumbling obscenities under his breath the whole way, and took his bagel from the toaster. He ate it dry and then bent over to clean up the cheese from the floor.

Miroku stumbled down the stairs and joined him in the kitchen. He frantically searched through the fridge, until he noticed the damning crumbs falling from Inuyasha's shirt.

"You ate the last bagel?" He whined. "I wanted that."

"Get over it." The hanyou stood and threw the dishrag into the sink. "We have to watch a bunch of hacks go at it today."

"What are you talking about?" Cocoa-cocoa puffs were good enough, he decided. Though not as good as that bagel would've been.

"New warm-up band auditions today."

"That's today?" He dropped the cereal box.

"Seems like it."

Sango came down and joined them. "What are we talking about?" She stole the cereal bowl from the monk's hands.

Inuyasha growled, threw up his hands, and walked away.

From the couch, he heard a loud "WHAT!" screeched and glass breaking on the floor.

**Later that day**

"Okay guys," a young, yet bald, man said, "this is our one shot. Let's give them something to talk about, alright?"

The four men around him shouted their agreement.

"Does this shirt make me look fat?" The short one asked.

All those around him rolled their eyes.

"Mukotsu, you are _way _too obsessed with how you look." The bald one spoke for the group.

"Everyone's out there." Jakotsu, also known as the ambiguous desk clerk from chapter four, bounced up beside the men. "Are you ready?"

"I can't believe you made me drive from Boston for this." Bankotsu, also known as the boss from chapter four, grumbled from behind them.

"We have to support our brothers." He flamboyantly stated, giving his youngest brother a hug. "Besides, I'm sure Mom and Dad can take care of the hotel while we're gone. They did it for years before they retired."

"But you're the only one in the world I can trust." He ignored the glares from the five men behind him. Taking a closer look at the mesh shirt and tight jeans on the other man, not to mention the lipstick and eyeliner bleeding from his eyes, he added, "Even if you are a bit weird."

"Really?" Jakotsu's eyes shone. At a grunt from the other man, he laughed long and loud.

"Shut up." Bankotsu growled.

"Hey," the giant of the group spoke up, "this is _Kyoukotsu's_ night of glory."

"It's all of ours, Kyoukotsu." Renkotsu spoke for them all once more.

The giant shot a dirty look at the bald one. "I guess."

"Mortis?" The men looked behind them. "You're on deck." The emcee said after looking at his clipboard.

"Good luck guys." Bankotsu ambled through the door to watch from the auditorium.

"Yeah, break a leg." Jakotsu winked and followed.

The five men sighed.

"Well, that was painless." Suikotsu said as he put the claws that were part of his costume onto his healing hands.

"Yeah." Renkotsu applied the grease paint across his eyes to his jaw and to the middle of his forehead before wrapping the do-rag around his cranium to cover up his premature baldness.

"Gesh." Ginkotsu covered most of his face with a metal mouthpiece, to hide the hideous scar from a motorcycle accident, and spiked his wild red hair just a bit more.

"Why can't I find a woman more like Jakotsu?" Mukotsu fastened his facial scarf after rimming his eyes in red.

His foster brothers stared.

"What?" He looked around bewilderedly.

The others completed their face paint and checked their instruments without answering.

**Meanwhile, in the auditorium**

The band onstage just finished their set.

"Learn how to play." Inuyasha mumbled and marked them off his list.

"Be nice." Miroku said and did the same.

"Thank you!" Totosai shouted and stood from the band's table. "Next?"

Three teens stumbled on and fiddled with their cords.

"This is Dookie." The emcee spoke. He double checked, shook his head, sighed and went back to make sure the next band was ready.

"Great. Another joke." Inuyasha poised his pencil.

"Give them a chance." Sango rubbed her head.

"Whatever."

The band played, slightly off key, a song about marijuana and masturbation.

"Nevermind." The taijiya's eyes were wide.

"Tweakers." Inuyasha quipped and marked them off.

Sango and Miroku nodded and also stroke through the name.

"Thank you for coming out." Totosai yelled.

The boys moaned and left.

"Who's next?" Inuyasha scanned his paper. "Mort-is. What the hell?"

"I believe it's pronounced 'Mor-tee-ce'." Miroku clarified.

"But doesn't that mean-" Sango began.

"Death?" The monk finished. "Yes. It's Latin. Though why a band auditioning for _us_ would call themselves death, I have no clue."

"Why not?" Inuyasha joined. "Ours means Feudal."

"True."

The emcee once more came out and checked his clipboard. "Next we have Mortis."

The five men in face paint came onstage and expertly set up a keyboard, plugged in their guitars and settled into a pose that signaled they were ready.

"Oh boy." Sango sighed.

Totosai nodded and Mukotsu laughed like a maniac from behind his keyboard as the song began.

"Feel good." Renkotsu sang, sounding suspiciously like a monkey.

Ginkotsu strummed his bass and the bald one sang "Sh-shake it, shake it, feel good," repeatedly.

Their judges were sitting back with identical expressions of cynicism, one eyebrow raised.

"Interesting." Miroku mumbled.

"Very different from the takes we've heard today." Sango commented.

"Keh." Inuyasha had his pencil only half-way raised above their name. "Might be good."

Suikotsu pounded on the drums as Renkotsu prepared to go into the verse.

_City's breaking down on a camel's back._

_They just have to go 'cause they don't hold back._

_So all you fill the streets it's appealing to see._

_You won't get out the county, 'cause you're dead and free._

_You've got a new horizon, it's ephemeral style._

_A melancholy town where we never smile._

_And all I wanna hear is the message beep._

_My dreams, they've got to kiss, because I don't get to sleep, no…_

The beat slowed as it changed from pounding to more melodic, depending solely on Mukotsu to keep up the melody from behind his keyboard/synthesizer.

_Windmill, Windmill for the land._

_Learn forever hand in hand._

Jakotsu made an appearance, dancing by the table that Sengoku was sitting at. He leaned forward and winked at Inuyasha. The hanyou sneered and scrunched farther back in his seat.

_Take it all in on your stride._

_It is sticking, falling down._

The drums kicked in again accompanied by Ginkotsu's bass.

_Love forever, love is free._

_Let's turn forever you and me._

_Windmill, windmill for the land._

_Is everybody in?_

The bass line got heavier until the synthesizer threw in a roundhouse flying effect. The giant that had been lurking in the shadows stepped forward and bounced across the stage, rapping to the beat of the bass.

"Holy shit." Miroku exclaimed at the enormous entity that strutted before them.

_Laughin' gas these hazmats, fast cats,_

_Linin' 'em up like ass cracks,_

_Ladies, homies, at the track._

_It's my cho-co-late attack._

_Shit, I'm stepping in the heart of this here._

_Care bear bumping in the heart of this here._

"Did he just say 'Care Bear'?" Sango asked while Kyoukotsu continued.

_Watch me as I gravitate._

_Ha haha ha haaa!_

_Yo, we gonna ghost town,_

_This motown,_

_Wit yo sound._

_You in the place._

_You gonna bite the dust._

_Can't fight wit us._

_Wit yo sound,_

_You kill the INC._

_So don't stop, get it, get it._

_Until you're cheddar header._

"Yo!" Mukotsu shouted into the mike perched on his keyboard.

_Watch the way I navigate._

_Ha haha ha haaa!_

Kyoukotsu stepped back and nodded from the sidelines. Renkotsu again began with his monkey imitation.

_Sh-shake it, shake it, feel good._

_Sh-shake it, shake it, feel good._

Jakotsu continued to gyrate his hips in front of Inuyasha until Bankotsu grabbed his elbow and pulled him away.

"Give it up. It's unrequited."

"But ou-aniki," the man pouted, "he's so cute. Don't you agree?"

The dark haired man grimaced and continued tugging.

Mukotsu threw in a shrill beep as he took over the melody once again for the chorus that Renkotsu sang.

_Windmill, Windmill for the land._

_Learn forever hand in hand._

_Take it all in on your stride._

_It is sticking, falling down._

_Love forever, love is free._

_Let's turn forever, you and me._

_Windmill, windmill for the land._

_Is everybody in?_

Kyoukotsu once more filled the stage and began rapping.

_Don't stop, get it, get it._

_We are your captains in it._

_Steady, watch me navigate._

_Ha haha ha haaa!_

_Don't stop, get it, get it._

_We are your captains in it._

_Steady, watch me navigate._

_Ha haha ha haaa!_

The giant stayed where he was. Renkotsu peeked around him after every word of his 'Sh-shake it's'. The song ended with Mukotsu laughing maniacally in his high voice once more and Renkotsu plucking a bottle from his waist, taking a sip, and blowing out fire with the aid of a lighter hidden in his pocket.

Sango and Miroku stood from their seats and began clapping. Totosai whistled. Inuyasha was still staring after the man he recognized from Kagome's hotel back in Boston. The band bowed, unplugged their equipment and exited. Bankotsu had managed to get Jakotsu as far away from the band as he could, straining against the gay one's tugging.

For seeming so frail, Jakotsu was remarkably strong. However, his brother was stronger. In a desperate attempt, Jakotsu stopped trying to get away and slammed back into Bankotsu.

"Why, aniki, if you wanted to get this close all you had to do was say so." He purred.

Bankotsu shrieked and released the man from his hold. Jakotsu giggled and ran back to his Inuyasha.

"Jakotsu!" Bankotsu yelled.

The man looked back at his brother, stuck out his tongue, and ran into Sango.

"Hey!" She shouted.

He looked at her. "A woman." Jakotsu sneered and shrugged her off. He stood next to Inuyasha, staring deeply, or at least trying to, into the hanyou's gorgeous golden eyes. "They were good weren't they?" He tilted his face in closer to the silver-haired man that haunted his dreams. "They're my brothers, you know."

"You don't say." Inuyasha drawled and backed away. "Then go to them. Far away from me."

Jakotsu pouted at him. "You don't like me?"

"I don't swing that way. Besides, I'm taken."

The capricious human's eyes flashed. "By who?" His expression turned dark and he barely mumbled a 'bitch' under his breath.

Inuyasha stepped forward and snarled. "You won't lay a fairy _finger_ on her."

Totosai whistled and security ran up. They grabbed Jakotsu and dragged him away.

The man huffed. "Poo."

"Well that was eventful." Miroku muttered and noticed the heavy, growling breaths next to him. "Calm down, Inuyasha." He told his seething friend.

"I need a minute." He ran out the doors and into the fresh air.

The ones left behind stared after him.

"He'll be fine." Totosai told them.

They returned to their seats and prepared to listen to the next band.

Bankotsu watched security take his brother away and went backstage, shaking his head. His adopted brothers were all sitting around, beaming in the light of their flawless performance.

"Bad news, boys." He stepped forward and they all looked back at him. "Jakotsu has managed to piss off Inuyasha and been escorted from the building."

"Damn it." Renkotsu cried. "I hope this doesn't take us off their list."

"You guys did good. I don't think they'll let our flighty brother get in the way of your music."

"We can only hope." Renkotsu wrung his hands together.

**Later that night**

"I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it." Kagome said as she pulled into The Pink Jewel's parking lot.

Their fight that morning had been resolved without words as usual. She was so forgiving and patient with him. Way too forgiving and patient, but love did that to you.

"You didn't see his face." Inuyasha groaned after telling her the long tale about his day, right up to the point were that homo came on to him. "He looked like he was thinking about killing you."

"I doubt it." Kagome turned off the engine. "Besides, what's he going to do now? Stalk you? Didn't you say you saw him working at that hotel a month or so ago?"

"You're right. It's probably nothing." He got out of the car. "Unless we sign on his family to tour with us. Who knows what'll happen then. They _were _the best act we saw, you know."

The girl walked with him into the restaurant. "If he works in Boston, he'll stay in Boston. He probably only came out here for moral support." She reasoned.

He grunted.

"Where's Sango and Miroku?" She looked around the lot. "I thought they were right behind us."

"They could've gotten stopped at that streetlight a mile back." He put his arm around her waist. "They'll catch up. Let's eat."

Kagome smiled and leaned into his half-embrace.

**Meanwhile**

"I can't believe you lost them!" Sango groaned from her seat in Miroku's car.

"There's a lot of turns and lights I had to go through." His hands gripped the wheel a bit tighter.

"I can't believe you got lost!" She exclaimed.

"I'm not driving most of the time!" He shouted in his frustration. "And I'm NOT lost!"

"Well don't take it out on me." Sango sunk into the leather seat. "Just stop and ask for directions."

"I don't need directions." Miroku gripped the steering wheel even tighter. "It's around here somewhere. Keep an eye out."

The woman beside him growled. _'Men.'_

**Pink Jewel**

"Where are they? The show's about to start." Kagome fretted.

"I don't know." Inuyasha sipped his lager. "But I _do_ know that hearing people that actually know how to play will be a welcome change today."

She patted his arm. "It must be so tough for you, having to listen to music and watch TV all day."

"Don't patronize me."

"Aw. Poor baby." She kissed his cheek and his good mood returned.

"Don't start something you're not going to finish, Kagome." He intoned.

"What do you mean?" She turned to him, only to be surprised by a pair of lips a hair's breath away.

In a moment the lips were on her own and she was clinging to the hard body beside her.

"Well don't let us interrupt." Miroku's voice said behind them while Sango giggled in the background.

"Imagine that Miroku. Necking in a public place." The taijiya grinned.

"Hmm. Never would've thought Kagome would be that brash."

"Hey!" Inuyasha broke from his girlfriend's hold.

"Shh." Sango took her seat. "They're starting."

"Okay people!" The announcer called loudly over the din. "Let's settle down. I know you're all here for amateur night, right?" A roar was heard as the crowd cheered their excitement. "That's great! Here at the Pink Jewel, we love to have your money…..I mean, you're enthusiasm for our events." A few chuckles were heard. "But tonight, management has decided to skip all that and go straight to the winner."

'Boo's and a resounding 'Hisssssss' were heard from the crowd, causing quite a racket.

"What are you doing to me!" A random guy shouted.

The announcer laughed nervously and tugged at his collar. "I know, I know. I feel your pain." He took a breath and switched hands with the mike. Clearing his throat, he prepared for the pre-written speech he'd memorized. "You all know them as the band that's won eight consecutive weeks in a row. And we've given them a spotlight, _for one night only_, to showcase their talents. It gives me great honor to welcome back to the stage…..Kamikaze!" The crowd roared, their previous displeasure over the cancellation forgotten. "Come on out girls!"

Kagura, Kanna, Rin and Ayame took to the, by this point, _very_ familiar stage.

"Thank you, thank you." Kagura shouted over the din and waved her arms vertically until the crowd settled down. "The Pink Jewel has given us the privilege of a concert all our own. It's a great opportunity that's been provided for us and we are very grateful." She bowed to the manager watching from the back of the room. "The Jewel always been good to us and very supportive. Although, I think they're just sick of giving us as much free beer as we want." The crowd laughed when she gave them a conspiratal wink and the manager shook his head. "But enough of that sentimental crap. We know what you're here for!" The cheers were deafening and the four girls beamed. "So let's get this party started!"

They began their fast tempo set of original songs as well as covers.

"Did they come out to audition today?" Kagome asked.

"No," Miroku informed her, "we didn't have anyone of their caliber. Except that one band, Mortis."

Inuyasha's face darkened with the memory. Kagome noticed and changed the topic.

"I wonder why." She thought aloud. "They could certainly use your tour as a springboard."

"Like Ookami." Sango agreed. "Kouga is doing very well after our little tour."

"Yeah," Miroku joined the conversation, "they were on TRL last week toting their newest single."

"I can't believe that wimpy wolf got out a record before us." Inuyasha growled.

"How could he have done it in a month?" Sango wondered.

"Who knows." The monk sighed. "He must have been writing it in between trying to smash Inuyasha's face in."

The girls giggled.

"He never touched me!" The hanyou grumped.

"That didn't stop him from trying." Sango reminded him.

Kamikaze finished two songs and already they had a mosh pit forming in front of them, complete with jumping fans and rock fists pumping cheerily in the air.

"We _need_ them on tour with us." The taijiya danced in her seat to their next song.

"After a performance like _that,_ we might just get kicked off the stage." Miroku joked.

"Like anyone can be better than us." Inuyasha arrogantly replied.

His friends rolled their eyes and continued to listen to the first concert the girls had ever had. In between songs, Rin and Kagura had a running joke that they brought up to make the crowd forgive their pause while they tuned their instruments as needed for the next song.

"So," Rin began, "I heard Tasuki was over at your house last night."

"Yeah," Kagura replied, "that boy just won't get a clue."

"How many times have you dumped him now?"

"Five." The wind sorceress sighed.

"Why does he keep coming around?"

"He loves my cooking."

"You cook?" Rin gasped and covered her mouth.

"Yes." She glared back at her bassist.

"I'm shocked."

"Why's that?" She growled.

"I always thought you were too free-spirited to lower yourself to domestic duties."

"Well," Kagura struck an elegant pose, "I do love to cut the cheese."

Ayame shouted, "Ba-dum CHhh," instead of playing it on her drums. They crowd laughed and she shook her head. The girls went into another song.

"They're so hot." Miroku stared.

Sango growled and slammed her fist on the top of his head.

"Ow! Sango!" He rubbed his abused skull. "I meant they're awesome onstage. Look at how at ease they are. I bet they'd be excellent on tour."

"Oh," she said sheepishly, "sorry."

He smiled at her.

After the girls had completed five more songs and had many more laughs with the audience over Kagura's cooking, complete with a testimonial from her sister Kanna, they calmed the crowd to a dull roar.

"Our time here is almost up." Kagura smiled at the groaning crowd. "Before we go, we have but one request. Please clear the floor for some slow dancing." People turned to their friends with questioning looks. "I know it's a weird thing to ask, but we _are_ women in case you hadn't noticed. And, true to form, we love happy endings. Love is a wonderful thing and we want to everyone to go home happy. So find a partner and lets send you off with a bit of romance."

She set down her guitar and stepped behind the keyboard she'd been jumping back and forth behind all night. A stagehand brought out a chair and she sat. Her hands floated over the keys in a hauntingly sad melody.

Inuyasha stood and held out his hand to Kagome. "Would you like to dance madam?"

She smiled widely at his manners and dramatically held her hand over her chest. "Why, sir, I had no idea you liked to dance."

"Yeah, when did _that_ happen?" Sango asked.

Inuyasha growled. "Feh, who says I can't dance if I want to?"

"You did." Miroku commented. "Does the phrase, 'I'd rather die than prance around,' ring a bell?"

"Keh." He moved to sit back down.

"Well I'd love to." Kagome stood and took his arm. "But do you think it's such a good idea with all these people around? We've been lucky that no one's recognized you so far."

He reached into his pocket and brought out his beanie. "Never leave home without it." He pulled the woven cap over his head and tucked up his hair.

"That's great, but I still think someone will spot you. Not a whole lot of people have yellow eyes."

"So I'll just keep them shut."

"And how will you find your way to the floor?"

"You'll lead me." He took her arm. "Just don't ram me into anybody."

"Okay." Kagome led them forward and saw that he really did have his eyes closed. She smiled at his faith in her and held onto his shoulders once they'd reached the floor. It only had a few couples so human-butting was not a problem.

"That's trust." Sango sighed. "I hope I'll find that kind of love someday."

"Maybe it's closer than you think." Miroku sighed under his breath so she wouldn't hear. "May I?" His hand drifted into view.

She stared at the offered appendage. "Can you keep that to yourself?"

"I will try, my goddess, to stay on my best behavior." He humbly replied, bowing slightly.

She grinned and allowed her own hand to grace his in the merest of holds. "Just don't step on my feet."

"Done and done."

They walked to the floor just as Kagura began to sing, accompanied only by the music she was playing.

_I'm so tired of being here._

_Suppressed by all my_

_Childish fears._

_And if you have to leave,_

_I wish that you would just leave._

_Cause you're presence still lingers here,_

_And it won't leave me alone._

Kanna joined her with the violin she had traded her electric guitar in for. Rin and Ayame were behind them, ballroom dancing with each other, since they only had one part in this song and it wasn't until two minutes in.

_These wounds won't seem to heal._

_This pain is just too real._

_There's just too much that time cannot erase._

_When you cried I'd_

_Wipe away all of your tears._

_And when you scream I'd_

_Fight away all of your fears._

_And I held your hand through all of these years._

_But you still have,_

Both girls had played to a crescendo and stopped. Kagura sang the last line of the chorus without accompaniment.

_All of me._

Kagura and Kanna started playing again. The maid of the nothingness vocalized with 'ah's and 'oh's so soft they were barely there.

_You used to captivate me_

_By your resonating light._

_Now I'm bound by the life you left behind._

_Your face it haunts_

_My once pleasant dreams._

_Your voice it chased away_

_All the sanity in me._

_These wounds won't seem to heal._

_This pain is just too real._

_There's just too much that time cannot erase._

Here is the spot where Kanna began to harmonize bits and pieces, still throwing in an 'ah' or 'oh' when the muse called for it.

_When you cried I'd_

_Wipe away all of your tears._

_And when you scream I'd_

_Fight away all of your fears._

_And I held your hand through all of these years._

_But you still have,_

_All of me._

Kagura had to practically shout over the louder music as the sisters got more into the song, preparing for Rin and Ayame's introduction. Said girls had stopped dancing, curtsied to each other, and went to their stations.

_I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone._

_But though you're still with me,_

_I've been alone all along._

Rin picked up Kanna's electric and kicked in a solo accompanied by the three others. The bridge was but a brief respite that held the crowd in awe.

_When you cried I'd_

_Wipe away all of your tears._

_And when you scream I'd_

_Fight away all of your fears._

_I held your hand through all of these years._

_But you still have,_

The sisters stopped playing. Kagura slowly filtered in the piano, seeming to search for the words to end the song, getting quieter and quieter.

_All of me, all_

_Of me, all_

_Me, all_

It ended with the simplest form of the melody, courtesy of Kagura, and the girls bowed to the applause.

Sango lifted her head from Miroku's shoulder. He smiled into her blushing face. She couldn't put a finger on the soft emotion in his violet eyes.

"Was I a good boy?"

Sango sighed when his soft look was replaced with his patented boyish grin. Her face fell all together when she felt a hand drifting lower down her back.

Kagome and Inuyasha stopped swaying and shared a gentle kiss in front of everyone. Thankfully, no one around them noticed because a certain brunette was smacking around her drummer. And no one noticed _them_ since everyone else was standing and whistling and clapping for the band still onstage.

"Thank you, thank you." The element youkai shouted to the audience. "It's been great performing for you. Now go home!"

The crowd cheered as the four walked offstage, waving and smiling at their adoring fans.

The group reconvened at the table to finish their cold supper.

Miroku held his lump-ridden head, but a dopey smile was stuck on his face, because he knew she'd gone easy on him.

Sango huffed a lot, but was shamed to admit that she hadn't smacked him as hard as usual when his hand had gently rubbed his favorite part of her anatomy. She blamed it on the dance they'd shared.

Inuyasha and Kagome were in lovers' heaven when they'd sat, still holding hands.

"That was a great concert." Kagome smiled.

"Yes it was." Miroku agreed and laid his head on Sango's shoulder. "Wouldn't you agree, my dove?"

The girl grunted and shoved more of the oriental salad topped with grilled chicken and French dressing (_AN: I'm soooooo hungry_) into her mouth.

"I'll take that as a yes." The monk grinned.

"Are you going to talk to them?" Kagome asked her boyfriend.

"Why? If they didn't come to auditions they probably don't want to be our warm-up band."

"Maybe it was a conflict of interests."

"Maybe you are over-analyzing everything."

"Maybe I am," she giggled, "but it would be worth it if you found out."

The hanyou growled and stood from the table.

"Do you want us to go with you?" Sango called.

"Don't bother. I know I'm right." He continued to trudge off.

Sango looked at Kagome, Kagome looked at Miroku, Miroku looked at Sango. All of them stood at the same time and followed.

**Hello again ever-body. Sorry it took so long. Gas is now about 2.35 a gallon. It was down to 2.05 since Bush got his head out of his ass and opened up our reserves, but then Rita struck. Damn hurricanes. Get off my shores! Anyway, couldn't get down here any sooner. Writing my author's notes from the library this time. Hope I get everyone in since the computer won't let my Tab+Alt between pages. Here we go:**

**_Rain_: Long time no see. Don't sweat it. Figured you were busy or something like that. Glad to hear you love FY too. They're so great. And I would so borrow them from you, if I actually knew you that is. Anyways, tootles.**

**_Miss Talk-too-much_: GREAT! I'm thinking about finding a school up there once I get my basics out of the way. Any suggestions?**

**_Princess-in-Training_: Thanks. That's really sweet of you to say so. X )**

**_Amber_: OKAY! Alright okay. Happy now? ; ) And thanks. I really tried to keep them in character and I love my taste in music too. ; D What do you listen to?**

**_Yana5_: Glad to hear it. I love possessive Inuyasha too. He's sooooooo cute.**

**_Katluvsinu_: I'm mean:( Sorry. Here's your update. Yes I did use famous bands. I think you probably figured that out as you read further on, but I'm answering you anyway. I list the band's names at the beginning of the chapter in my disclaimers which are wicked cute, so check 'em out.**

**_Ahda_: Thank you. Here.**

**_NBKitty_: Awwwww. You're making me blush. Thanks.**

**_Havokmastr3133_: Nice to see you back. The song was Papercut from Linkin Park. Check it out. One of my favorites. Though I love all of their work.**

**_Inu-kagdude_: Thanks so much. X )**

**_BreenieWeenie_: Thankies. Cute name.**

**_Adam_: 1.03! Where do you live? It hasn't been close to a dollar here since I was, like, 15, uh, I think…..and I'm 21 now! LUCKY! Thank you for your patronage.**

**_Inuyashababe44_: Sorry to hear it. And thanks for the review in these times. I LOVE THEM!**

**_Owari Nai Yumes:_ I updated. I updated. And where the crap does your name come from…..or mean? Thanks to my newest fan.**

**_Tawdry_: Ah, lassie, nice to see you again. And yes, I was going to have Sango sing it, but then I realized I didn't have very many punk girl group songs to go on. So, regrettably, I had to have Kamikaze sing it instead. _Le sigh._ I was going to have it in a karaoke bar and she'd sing it to him and they'd both be all like, 'I _so_ love you', but alas, things rarely go as I planned. And yeah, boys totally suck. If I didn't enjoy certain aspects of them I'd say we girls should round them up on a deserted island and drop an A-bomb. But then I remember that not all guys are total sleezeoids and that some are actually very thoughtful, and nice, and sweet (though I've never met one)…..then I can't go through with it. Anyway, How much is gas in the UK? Cheers!**

**_ShadowKitsune67_: Thank you. And I look forward to your next review.**

**_Demonpriestess07_: Yes I need to find someone. The library had one DVD on them and it was the complete part 2 so I know how that ends now. I still want to read it though. Manga is better than anime sometimes. You can understand the anime plot better. Especially when they translate it into English, most of the meaning gets lost. But now I'm rambling.**

**_Rosepetals Turn To DoubleEdged Swords_: Wow. Awesome name, first of all. I never would have thought of something like that. Thank you. And glad to hear about my decision. But I will be posting it only on Mediaminer when it happens.**

**_LWL_: Brazil? Cool. And no prob about that. I understand completely how it goes. And thank you so much. Best ever? My head could be a little bigger…..**

**_Kagomereincarnated:_ Thank you. Glad to hear it. Lemon will only be up on Mediaminer though, sorry. Don't wanna get ratted out and kicked off for that ya know.**

**Alright! Hope I got everybody. And if I didn't…..so sorry. You know I love you all! And if anyone has suggestions for girls punk band songs I would love to hear them. I can't think of anyone but The Donnas and their sound annoys me. Sounds like they're playing into a tin can. Anyway. Thank you all and I'll see you next time, when Inuyasha confronts Kamikaze and we have a battle of the bands to see who goes on tour with them. Bye-bye.**

**Oh, yeah. R&R!**


	13. Chapter Bob

**Disclaimer: There was an old lady who lived in a shoe. She had so many children she didn't know what to do. Obviously she had too many prior obligations to bother with getting me the rights to Inuyasha. Or any of the songs mentioned in this fic. No, I did _not_ write them. Is that a double negative? Oh, nevermind.**

**Chapter 13: A flippin' long chapter that I don't have a name for, so I'll call it, um, Bob. Chapter Bob.**

Kagura rushed back to the dressing room which had also doubled as the janitor's closet to escape the grasping claws of rabid male fans who had slipped by the meager security, i.e. the greeter at the Jewel.

"Come on! Hurry up!" She shouted to the other three as they too ran for their lives. And clothes.

Rin, Kanna, and Ayame flew in and Kagura slammed the door behind them.

"That was the best show EVER!" Rin shouted in joy as she flipped back her hair and stood from the floor, straightening her shirt and bra as best she could.

"Totally." Ayame grinned. "Can it get any better?"

"Yes," a male's voice spoke from the door.

The girls twirled around and stared at the heartthrob standing before them.

"Is that…..?" Rin's mouth dropped open.

"Can't be." Kagura lifted a sardonic brow.

Ayame circled around him and glanced from head to toe at all the hanyou goodness watching her with his arms crossed. "It looks like him." She wiped the drool from her chin. "But his hair is….."

The hanyou raised his eyebrows and sighed. "Yes, I am me," he whipped off the beanie to reveal his long, silver hair and held out one clawless hand to Kagura, "Inuyasha."

She trepidatiously shook the proffered hand and said, "Kagura."

"I know." He was amused how her jaw dropped and decided to go for a full open-mouthed revelation for the rest of the girls. "And you're Rin, Ayame, and Kanna." He got the desired effect.

The door opened behind him and his friends bolted in. Miroku held off the crowd for the girls to trip through.

"Jeez Inuyasha," Miroku gasped after he forced the door closed, "way to leave us out in the cold like that."

"Yeah," Sango wiped off her shirt, "I'm going to be cleaning out groupie drool for a week."

"I'm fine. Oop." Kagome turned around to pick up her cell phone, which had dropped on the way in, and revealed a french-fried, greasy handprint on her left ass cheek.

Inuyasha vowed to disembowel whoever dared to touch his woman's bottom after he was done here.

"I told you I could handle it." He turned back to the girls. "Look, we've been listening to you for the last month or so and think you really have what it takes to make it."

Kagura was the first to get over the shock of seeing all of Sengoku and what appeared to be a model (Kikyo Tama maybe?) in their modest dressing room. She stuttered out a thanks.

"We held auditions for the warm-up band to head our newest tour today and you weren't there," he growled. "Our manager told us he'd posted signs all over the city, and judging from how many hacks we listened to, he told the truth. There was only one band that could compare to you and they looked like a bunch of freaks. Why didn't you guys show up?"

The four women before him stared in shocked awe.

"You really think we're that good?" Rin bashfully asked.

The hanyou growled and nodded. His patience was wearing thin. Rin squealed and jumped up to hug him, but he quickly sidestepped and she fell onto Miroku.

The boy smiled and held her tight. "Hey, baby. How you doin'?"

Sango clenched her fist and slammed it into his skull with the force of her womanly fury. "Pervert." She glared at him as he released the girl and laughed nervously.

"Come on, Sango. You know how it is….."

She continued to glare. His laughter petered off to a sigh. He knew he was in deep guacamole now.

"As I was saying….." Inuyasha glared at the monk who sighed again. "Did you not see the signs or what?"

Kagura stepped forward. "Yeah, we saw them."

"So why didn't you come?" Sango asked.

"We don't want to be famous." The elemental glared. "Have you seen what you've turned into? You walk around with your nose in the air and your music has gone completely downhill. Face it. You've sold out."

Inuyasha stepped towards the brazen woman. "Why you-"

Miroku cut the hanyou off. "In our defense, Inuyasha has always been like that." Said hanyou growled and took a step closer to the monk.

"They've only had one album." Kagome stuck up for her friends. "Besides, you don't even know them. They're some of the most down to earth people I've met in a long time."

"Hey," Ayame spoke up, "_we_ were there from the beginning. Way back when they first started playing in NYC."

"We went to all your shows," Kanna breathed. "From Yonkers to Albany. Your early sound was much different."

"We had to change. If we couldn't get on the radio, we wouldn't get paid!" Inuyasha yelled. "Even the love of music doesn't pay the bills."

"The song where we just screamed 'fuck' over and over wouldn't make it." Sango tried to make them understand.

"Oh yeah," Kagura sneered. "What about 'Give up the Grudge'? That was an awesome song."

"The higher ups didn't like a song about stupid, whiny, rich people too much." Miroku glared to the side.

"So what! Sing it anyway because it's true!" The elemental shouted.

"And what do you expect us to do for a living, huh?" Sango asked. "Work all day at some nowhere job and spend the nights singing in dingy bars and clubs, striving for ten bucks a person through T-shirts and crap CDs that we made in the basement!"

The girls were taken aback with the vehemence in Sango's glare.

"Um…..yes?" Rin cowered behind Ayame.

"We did that! For four years we worked at the video store," she waved a hand in Inuyasha's direction, "and WacDnalds," she pointed at Miroku, "and the Salvation Army during the day and played washed up clubs at night. Do you know how hard it was to get anyone of consequence to even _listen_ to us! It was fucking hard, but we finally did it. And life has gotten better. And we are sharing our music with the world. And if you can't grasp that then tough. That's how it is. And here we are, practically giving you this awesome chance, and you're telling me that _I'm_ a sell out!" Everyone gulped and prayed she would calm down. "Get over yourself!" She panted after her tirade and slowly got her heartbeat back to normal.

"Feel better?" Miroku asked cautiously.

"Yes," she sighed. "Just had that stored up too long."

"Okaaaaay." Kagome looked from Sango to the other girls. "I think what she meant to say is that they did what they had to do to survive in a very tough field."

"Exactly." Sango nodded.

"That's great, but what do you want me to do about it?" Kagura looked over the people in front of her.

"Not all of our songs have changed." Inuyasha struggled to find that calm space so he could explain. "In fact on our next album, which we're recording right now, we're going back to our original sound."

"Won't your label be mad that you're changing from that depressing, moody crap to your earlier punk sound?" Kagura squinted her eyes at him.

"They shouldn't be." Sango stared off into space. "We haven't really thought about it. But they did sign us when we were singing moody songs in an upbeat way. They just thought songs about death would be better interpreted if we didn't cause people to smile while we were doing it."

"And what about your fans?" Ayame sneered.

"I have a feeling they're more interested in looking at Inuyasha than listening to us." The taijiya sighed and collapsed into a nearby chair.

The four girls before her looked at each other, shrugging with wide open eyes in a non-committal manner.

"We're having call backs tomorrow for bands that we thought were good." Miroku wrote the address to the auditorium on the back of a coaster. "If you feel like coming, and trumping the competition, hee-hee, come around two pm. If not, we'll never bother you again." He handed the coaster to Rin and gave her a wink, "Talk about it amongst yourselves." _'Charming smile to seal the deal.'_

Rin stared at the address. "We live two blocks away from here."

"What?" Kagura looked over the bassist's shoulder. "Yeah, we do. Hmmm….."

"Talk about it and think it over. We'll see you tomorrow." Sango grabbed the back of Miroku's shirt after her little speech and dragged him away. "Bye."

"Aw, Sango, why do we gotta go?" The monk complained.

"Shut it."

"Nice to meet you." Kagome gave a slight bow and took Inuyasha's hand to leave.

"It was our pleasure," Kanna sighed.

The hanyou just growled as his girlfriend pulled him out the door with her.

"I could have done that myself, you know." He grumped.

"Yeah, we could all see how well you were handling that." Kagome rolled her eyes.

**Next Morning**

Suikotsu yawned and opened his eyes at the crack of noon. "Man, that was a great party. Don't you think so, baby?" He look to his left at his drinking buddy. Jakotsu sighed in his sleep and rubbed his bare nipple. "Oh, God!" He screamed. "I'm gonna puke." The drummer held a hand over his mouth and gagged.

"That was just evil." Mukotsu glared at the three snickering men eating cereal with him when they heard the scream echoing through the small three bedroom apartment they all shared.

"But funny." Renkotsu laughed.

"Yeah, not our fault they woke up late." Bankotsu shoved more Frosted Flakes into his mouth. "They're Grrrrrrrr-eat!"

"You're weird when you have a hangover." The girl who had originally be in Suikotsu's bed lit her cigarette and shoved the chocolate éclair down her throat.

"You like that creamy center, baby?" Kyoukotsu smirked. "I know you like that."

She gulped heavily and got up. "Freak."

"You could stay if you want to." Mukotsu looked up at her, "I would be happy to entertain such a delicious young lady as yourself."

She scoffed and flipped her blond hair over a smooth shoulder. "You're even weirder than him. Midget." She hurriedly grabbed her purse and walked out.

The scorned one began to wail. "They never love me!"

"I told you," Renkotsu tried to soothe Mu's easily frayed self-esteem, "we'll get you a personal trainer when we're famous. Then you can work off that weight and look taller and less creepy." He realized his mistake too late to do anything but close his eyes and scrunch his nose.

"I'm creepy?" The pianist ran to his room.

"Now you've done it." Bankotsu chomped on the crispy golden flakes.

Suikotsu stumbled from his room and leaned heavily against the doorframe, looking a little green.

"Did you have fun last night?" Bankotsu tried not to smile.

The drummer tried to swallow the vomit that was immediately brought up and ran back to the bathroom.

The three left in the room cackled evilly.

"We have too much fun," Ren laughed.

"Yeah and you have two hours to get ready and be there for your call back," Bankotsu mouthed around his breakfast.

"Huh?" Ren looked at the clock. "Shit!"

Kagura and the girls were slightly more prepared than their competition. At least they already got all the showers out of the way.

"Where's my flat iron?" Kanna asked Rin, while trying to hold her bathrobe closed.

"I think Kagura had it. Where'd my scrunchie go?" She stood from searching the floor and pulled her panties back up.

The pale girl merely shrugged.

"All right," Ayame burst into the bathroom, "who took my flower?"

"Probably the same one who took my feather," Kagura grumped when she reached the wolf. "Who did it?"

The three girls looked at each other's hair.

"We don't know," they said in unison. "Where's _our _stuff?"

Kagura growled and stomped from the bathroom to get out of her towel and into an outfit. "I can't _believe_ you decided to do this." Was shouted over her shoulder.

"You agreed to it too!" They yelled at her.

Kagura popped back in after slipping into her undergarments. "Only after you almost beat me over the head!"

Rin giggled. "Like I could even reach your head."

Tasuki, Kagura's persistent ex, stood in the living room of the girl's small apartment and inhaled deeply of his contraband.

"Mmmmm. Smells like blueberries and cream," he sighed.

"All right!" He heard Ayame yell towards the back of the house. "Who took my flower?"

The items were quickly stashed behind his back as he innocently waited to take the girls and all their equipment to the local auditorium.

Sango knocked on Miroku's door. "Wake up letch! You've only got an hour to get out of here."

"I'm up, I'm up." He hoped she heard him. He stumbled into his bathroom and tried not to fall asleep waiting for the water to heat up.

She moved down the hall and tapped Inuyasha's door. "You up?"

"Yeah." He opened the door. "Kagome's not though. So be quiet."

"She stayed over again?" The taijiya stared at him. "What were you two doing last night?" She smirked.

"Sleeping," he stated dryly.

"I find that hard to believe."

"Why? I sleep better when she's next to me."

"I hope you _did_ get some sleep. Maybe then you won't be so cranky today."

"I won't be cranky 'cause we already weeded out the losers." He grumped. Swiveling an ear to the side and listening for a moment, he then jerked his head towards Miroku's door. "You might want to actually shake him awake. I can hear him snoring from here."

"But his shower is on."

"Doesn't mean he won't fall back to sleep in all that warm water."

"True."

"I need to get Kagome up. She said she had a shopping trip with Kikyo today."

"Fun, fun." Sango rolled her eyes and walked down the hall.

He bit his tongue on an equally derisive comment and walked back into his room.

Kagome laid on the bed, trying to wake up after she heard Sango at the door. She was thankful that Inuyasha said nothing after mentioning Kikyo because she didn't feel like another fight over her career choice. She felt him walk back in and kneel next to the bed.

"Kagome," he said softly and kissed her forehead. "Wake up baby."

"I'm awake." She sat up slowly. "Thanks." The girl smiled and gave him a gentle hug.

"What for?" He returned the embrace.

"For everything," she sighed and inhaled his scent with her nose buried in his neck. "I know I need to get up and work, but please just hold me for a minute."

He couldn't deny her anything.

**An hour or so later**

The five bands chosen to come back, or make a first appearance at the competition, ignored each other while they were getting ready backstage.

"Everybody," the emcee shouted at them, "you're wanted onstage for a quick word from Sengoku."

They all looked at each other, some snidely, some with apprehension, and made their way out onto the wide stage. Sengoku was sitting, lazily sprawled before them, protected from the small crowd that had come to watch by two aisles of empty seats. With exaggerated effort, Inuyasha rose from his seat and looked them over. His eyes shown when they settled on four faces that he didn't really expect to make an appearance.

_'Guess they changed their minds,' _he thought_. 'Stubborn women.' _Aloud he replied to the unspoken questions on everyone's face. "Hey everyone. We picked you to come back and compete head to head today because you were the best we saw yesterday. So don't disappoint. We're really going to tear your performance apart. You've been warned." He fell back into his seat.

Dazed, and slightly confused, the bands headed back to finish getting ready.

"I didn't see _them_ here yesterday." Mukotsu pointed one finger, gnarled from years of playing the piano, at the quartet of girls.

Suikotsu looked over his shoulder. "Maybe they were one of the first ones. We did get here late yesterday, remember?"

"No," Renkotsu clarified, "yesterday we got here on time. _Today_ we were late."

"Oh yeah." Suikotsu finished the last spike in his brown hair. "Then who are they?"

"Don't know." Kyoukotsu looked at them. "Stupid girls. Like Sengoku would want to go on after a bunch of chicks." He sniffed the perfume wafting from that direction. "They even smell girly. I'm going over there."

"Oh no you don't." Ren held back the giant. "_I'm_ the diplomatic one."

He headed towards Kagura. The lead singer was tuning up her guitar and completely oblivious to the giggles coming from Rin and Ayame about who was cute and who was not and who they recognized from various underground concerts and who was new. You know, girl stuff. Ren stopped beside her and watched for a moment.

"Looks like you know what you're doing," he commented.

She raised scathing crimson eyes to the boy. "And you look like your mommy dressed you." She smirked at his chagrined expression. "Was there a reason why you came over here or did you just want to make sure the _girl_ was competent enough to tune a guitar?" She went back to her task.

"Well…..I," he stuttered. Fighting for control of his vocal chords, he cleared his throat and tried a more suave approach. "The boys and I didn't see you here yesterday. I'm sure we would've remembered a fine lady like yourself."

She looked up at him and gave him a shit-eating grin. "And I'm sure that's the corniest line I've ever heard. Run along."

"Maybe." He skillfully ignored her brush off. "Seriously though, when did you play? 'Cause we were one of the last ones and I never saw you."

"Your persistence is annoying me," Kagura sighed. "We weren't here yesterday. They asked us to come today after hearing us play at the Jewel. This is just a formality."

His mouth dropped open. These girls had been hand-picked by the band? He had to tell the boys.

Inuyasha waited impatiently for the bands to take the stage. They might have weeded out the losers, but they still couldn't agree on just one band. Kamikaze and Mortis were both awesome, they all agreed on _that _at least.

But then there was Miroku's puller (The Bounty Hunters), and Sango's (Suzaku's Warriors), and even his third choice (Spirit Detectives).

All three were great bands that they each wanted to get some respect in their own right. Maybe they could pass the word onto Kouga for his new tour. Or just put in a good word at Shikon Records. Or do _something_. This call back was really more of a glorified battle of the bands to see who had the best second song and try to pick a winner off that. If Mortis really was better than all the rest, they would have to pick them. If one of the others upstaged them, then they'd have to reconsider. But what to do about Kamikaze? Was it possible to have two warm-up bands? Could the label back that many people? _Would_ they back that many people?

"Totosai!" He yelled over his shoulder. "Get over here old man."

"I'm standing right next to you," the youkai huffed. "There's no need to shout."

The hanyou glared at his manager's impertinence. "How many bands are we allowed to take with us?"

"Traditionally or under extenuating circumstances?"

"What?" The hanyou blinked. "Just tell me what the label said."

"One."

"Are you sure?" Miroku leaned over and butted into the conversation.

The old youkai scratched his head. "That's what they told me for the last tour."

"Maybe things have changed since then." Sango looked at the boys. "Have you talked to them lately about this?"

"No. I didn't want to bother them with it."

"Then make the call!" Inuyasha screamed at him. "We have to know how many bands we can bring with us."

"Right," Miroku handed the old man his phone, "because there's five awesome bands up there and if we can only have one then we have an excruciatingly hard choice to make."

"Okay, I'll do it." He dialed the number and waited for someone to pick up. "Hi Peggy. It's Totosai. Look I need to talk to….." His voice got too quiet to hear as he walked away from the group.

"What do you think they'll say?" Sango asked Miroku.

"Don't know. Could be anything," the monk replied. "Two or eight. It all depends on that phone call."

"Ladies and gentlemen," the emcee called attention to the stage. "May I present Suzaku's Warriors."

Sango perked up as six young men, who couldn't be older than twenty three, and a boy no older than seventeen walked onstage nodding and waving to the audience. There was the one that always smiled, the one that looked like some kind of royalty, the rough-and-tumble red-head, the tall and muscular bassist, the ambiguous one, the sexy drummer and the red-headed boy who acted too old for his years….._most_ of the time.

Kagura and the girls crammed behind the curtain when they heard the name.

"Why didn't you tell me Tasuki was doing this!" Ayame yelled at her. "I thought he was just helping us get all our crap here."

"I didn't know!" Kagura shot back. "Remember that I've dumped him like five times. I'm trying to get rid of him."

"Well, if his band gets picked," Rin smiled, "you're going to have a lot of time to 'get rid of him'."

Kagura raised a fist and hit the back of Rin's head with it. "Shut up."

"Ouchie…..," the girl whined.

"Isn't that the car dealer?" Inuyasha asked Miroku.

"Yeah." Miroku squinted at the stage. "Wonder why I didn't recognize him before."

"What was his name again?" The hanyou asked.

"Taka or Tamahome or something with a T." Miroku thought about it. "I remember he said he had a wife and son. That's about it. I think that's them towards the front." He pointed to a young woman holding an adorable baby and waving the child's hand at the drummer, who was also smiling and waving.

"Ya think that's why he gave us such a great deal on the truck?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"Shut up," Sango hissed. "They're starting."

The band commenced a rocking song about life and overcoming people's skepticism. The tag line was:

_I'm young and I'm hopeless. I'm lost and I know this. I'm going nowhere fast, that's what they say. I'm troublesome, I've fallen. I'm angry at my father. It's me against this world and I don't care. I don't care._

The small crowd around the band was screaming and cheering by the time they were done. Sango gave them a standing ovation and the boys cowered in their seats, recognizing greatness but powerless to do anything to help them. Judging on showmanship, quality of the song, appearance, and crowd approval, Sengoku gave them a score out of ten on the grading paper they held in their hands.

Totosai walked back to the band after Suzaku's Warriors had left the stage. He sat calmly in his seat and said nothing.

"Well?" Inuyasha prompted.

"They said one."

"WHAT!" Sango and Miroku both yelled. Inuyasha merely grunted his displeasure.

"They said one," he repeated. "Unless you can find a way to convince them that you need more than one warm-up band."

"Shit." Inuyasha settled farther down in his seat, even while the emcee introduced Spirit Detectives, his favorite for this call back.

The band onstage consisted of four men, even though one was short enough to be a boy, all of which had a different look. There was the short one that had a brooding quality, the tall red-head that looked like an idiot but had a true sense of honor, the lead singer that looked like he'd kick your ass faster than you could say his name, and an elegant looking bassist with long red hair. They played a light metal song whose chorus was:

_I'm spinning out of control, out of control. I'm spinning out of control, out of control. (Go!) Where should I go? (Do!) What should I do? I don't understand what you want from me. (Know!) 'Cause I don't know. (You!) If I can trust you. Or all of the things that you've said to me. And I may never know the answer to this endless mystery. (Go!) Where should I go? (Do!) What should I do? I don't understand what you want from me. (_Guitar riff) _You're still a mystery._

Everyone was singing along once it got to the screaming hook of 'out of control', especially a very outspoken blue-haired girl jumping next to a more reserved brunette. Inuyasha was head-banging, Miroku kept throwing up his rock sign and yelling "Yes!", and Sango was smiling at his enthusiasm _and_ appreciation for a catchy line. Even Totosai had to admit that deserved some attention from the labels.

After the band left the stage, Inuyasha turned to the other two. "There has to be some way we can get more than one. I'm not saying that we can get all of them, but at least two."

"What could our argument possibly be?" Miroku asked him skeptically.

"I don't know." He scratched his head. "We'll think of something."

The emcee announced The Bounty Hunters and Miroku really perked up once the buxom drummer walked out. With her was the lithe lead singer, the older and more muscular bassist and the young girl who could easily be confused for a boy with her flat chest if not for her cat-like grace when she trip/hopped over to her guitar and with a fluid motion twirled it into position.

They had only one fan in the crowd and the blonde didn't say much. Although by the end everyone was cheering for them. The chorus for their loud punk song went like this:

_Hey ho! Let's go! I'm gonna start a riot. Really want a fight and- One two one two! Don't tell me what to do! I don't wanna be like you. Can't you see? I'm my own worst enemy. Knock me down, I'll keep on movin'. It's the art of losin'._

By the time everyone got settled down, Sengoku had written down their scores and Mortis was setting up.

"What have you given everyone?" Sango curiously asked Miroku.

"Well, I gave your band a seven out of ten, just because of all the long hair, and I gave Inuyasha's a nine, because yesterday's song was a little better, and that one got a ten."

"Why?" Sango studied his face. _'If he says it was because that drummer's boobs almost fell out of her shirt every time she hit the cymbal, I'll kill him.'_

Miroku looked at her and noticed the way she was glaring into his thoughts. "Uh, um, because they were really…..good?"

Sango grunted and turned back to her paper with the same answers for the same reasons. Except that hers were backwards. She gave hers a _ten_ because of the hair and a _nine_ for Inu's 'cause they were awesome and a _seven_ to TBH because of Faye's boobs.

Inuyasha watched the two and didn't even attempt to analyze the undercurrents of that conversation. He also didn't say what he rated each of the bands. It wouldn't make a difference until the end anyway. So he settled in to watch the one band they had all agreed on yesterday.

Kagura and the girls had stayed pretty much away from the curtain after Tasuki's band. After all, they knew they were in, there was no reason to watch more than they needed to and there was only one band that Sengoku had said anything about that night at the Jewel. And that was the band that had just gone up.

So they rushed the curtains, shoving men out of the way to get to the front to see.

"Why are we watching them? We don't know them." Rin looked confused.

"They were the only ones that Inuyasha mentioned last night," Ayame slowly explained.

"The ones that looked like freaks?" The young one innocently asked.

"Have you seen them?" Kagura hissed behind her.

"Pipe down, Kagura," Nuriko glared at the girl who had crushed one of his best friends hearts more times than he could count. "Unlike you, we actually want to hear the competition."

Kagura glared back but kept her mouth shut. When you got on Nuriko's bad side, his strength was incredible. Plus that whole cross-dressing phase he went through kept popping in her head. Every time she saw him, she remembered him trying on her lingerie. Another reason why she kept dumping Tasuki. Too many friends with weird fetishes.

Ren stood close to the front with just his microphone for company. Kyoukostu was next to him, trying to keep on equal footing with the smaller man. His presence had shocked the entire auditorium into silence, which was fine with the band since their song started out hard and fast with no music for the first word or two.

To start the song, Ren and Kyoukotsu took turns yelling the lines. The rest of the band joined with a loud crash of drums and riff on the bass.

_From the top to the bottom_

_Bottom to top I stop_

_At the core, I've forgotten_

_In the middle of my thoughts_

_Taken far from my safety_

_The picture's there_

_The memory won't escape me_

_But why should I care_

_From the top to the bottom_

_Bottom to top I stop_

_At the core, I've forgotten_

_In the middle of my thoughts_

_Taken far from my safety_

_The picture's there_

_The memory won't escape me_

_But why should I care_

The music softened, being mainly played by Mukotsu's piano as Kyoukotsu took over the verse with emotional rap. It wasn't his words, but that didn't matter.

_There's a place so dark you can't see the end_

_Skies cock back_

_And shock at which can't defend_

_The rain then sends dripping_

_Acidic questions_

_Forcefully_

_The power of suggestion_

_Then with eyes shut_

_Lookin' through the rust and rot and dust_

_A small spot of light floods the floor_

_And pours over the rusted world of pretend_

_And the eyes ease open_

_And it's dark again_

Ginkotsu cued everyone in again with a resounding bass chord as Ren and Kyou took turns shouting the chorus, each trying to take the stage.

_From the top to the bottom_

_Bottom to top I stop_

_At the core, I've forgotten_

_In the middle of my thoughts_

_Taken far from my safety_

_The picture's there_

_The memory won't escape me_

_But why should I care_

Ren dominated the end of the chorus, previously unheard, with his haunting voice calling everyone to remember what only he could. Kyou harmonized as best he could. It sounded good with him holding back his booming voice.

Inuyasha was surprised. He didn't think the giant could sing. And he wasn't the only one. Miroku and Sango and the girls behind the curtain looked on in awe.

_In the memory you'll find me_

_Eyes burning up_

_The darkness holding me tightly_

_Until the sun rises up_

Kyou took center stage again to chime in with his soft rap while Mu took care of the music once more.

_Movin' all around_

_Screamin' of the ups and downs_

_Pollution manifested in perpetual sound_

_The wheels go 'round_

_And the sunset creeps behind streetlamps,_

_Chain-link and concrete_

_A little piece of paper with the picture drawn_

_Floats on down the street_

_'Til the wind is gone_

_And the memory now is like the picture was then_

_When the paper's crumpled up_

_It can't be perfect again_

The giant and the lead took turns with the chorus again.They managed to get everyone from wanting to jump from their seats to wanting to cry in one song. It was an emotional masterpiece. Kagura would've fretted over it, like the people behind her were doing, if she hadn't known that the girls were the band's favorite. At least, she thought they were.

_In the memory you'll find me_

_Eyes burning up_

_The darkness holding me tightly_

_Until the sun rises up_

Kyou repeated the next verse seven times, so that no one could forget, while Ren punctuated it first with screaming the ends and after the second repeat with a lilting 'Ooooo' that carried through the hall almost upstaging Kyoukotsu.

_Now you got me caught in the act_

_Can't bring the thought back_

_Tellin' you that_

_I see it right through you_

Ren stopped the vocalization to sing his tagline for the last time with Kyoukotsu backing him up.

_In the memory you'll find me_

_Eyes burning up_

_The darkness holding me tightly_

_Until the sun rises up_

_In the memory_

_You will find me_

_Eyes burning up_

_The darkness holding me tightly_

The music cut out completely to just Mu hitting four notes while Ren sang the last words unaccompanied.

_Until the sun_

_Rises up_

The crowd got to their feet simultaneously. They let go a round of applause that had the other three bands green with envy. They all dispersed grumbling obscenities under their breaths.

The girls didn't take much notice to the sound. Compared to their appearances, Mortis' cheers were the soft patter of rain against the window on a stormy night. Kagura grinned and turned to the others while the boys exited on the other side of the stage.

"Well girls," she asked them, "what do you think of our competition?"

"They were good," Ayame said.

"Yeah," Rin spoke up, "very original."

"We are better," Kanna finished up the commentary.

"So are you ready to kick their ass?" Kagura clenched a fist, imagining it was that cocky bastard from before.

"Yeah!" They shouted in unison.

"Let's go!"

Kagura poked the emcee in the shoulder and told him they were ready. They strutted out onstage with the man in tow.

"Hey, that's Kamikaze!" A girl shouted.

As soon as the random girl had spoken a chorus of applause and cheers rang throughout the hall, ultimately dwarfing the noise produced after Mortis had played. And they hadn't even started yet. The emcee shrugged and walked back offstage. No need to announce a band that everyone already knew.

From the corner of her eye, Kagura saw Tasuki and the rest of the bands run to the curtain to see what all the commotion was about. He smiled that soft smile that he only had for her. It was one of the things that made her fall for him. Usually he was so brutish and rash. He had admitted that she was his first girlfriend. Seven or so sisters had really messed him up for the rest of the female population. Which was a shame 'cause he was a hottie. If it weren't for his obsession with fire and those friends that kept popping up whenever they had a fight, she would stay with him. But she had a temper and an aversion to fire. Although, he was so cute just the thought of him naked…..

She had to start playing before she ran backstage and showed him what a mistake she'd made.

Kagura cleared her throat and waved to the audience while Ayame started them out with a drum roll. Rin play one note to cue Kagura.

_Hey boys! Hey girls! Hey anybody who will listen to me!_

_In case you haven't noticed,_

_It's just me against the world today._

The music picked up with more drumming and intricate harmonies on all three guitars.

_I fell out of the wrong side of the bed and landed in the worst mood._

_With that stupid alarm clock_

_Screamin' at me from across the room._

Rin seemed to get muted while they focused more on the melody.

_I'm trying to be nice._

_I'm tryin' to be reasonable._

_But it's oh so hard when I don't wanna be._

Kagura played a short riff on her electric guitar.

_If you're looking for that nice girl from the day before,_

_Don't bother. She don't live here anymore._

The mute got turned off when they hit chorus full blast. Kanna and Rin harmonized with 'ah's while Kagura sang.

_'Cause it's me_

_Against_

_The world._

_"Oh what a stupid day!" _Rin and Kanna sang while Kagura took a breather.

_Yeah, it's me_

_Against_

_The world._

_(Just stay out of my way.)_

_And in case you haven't noticed,_

_And in case you haven't heard._

_It's just me_

_Against_

_The world._

Kagura sang the last line of the chorus with no music.

_And the world is winning._

But it picked back up immediately after with Kagura playing a tune that sounded like a bumblebee on crack. Flighty, erratic, and something you could totally tap your foot to.

_You should have let me stay in bed. I've got this pounding in my head._

_No, nothings OK._

_Won't you stay out of my face today._

_I'm slamming doors. I'm slamming phones down. Watch out for this temper tantrum._

_Stay out of my way._

'_Cause if you don't you will be scared away._

_I'm trying to be nice._

_I'm tryin' to be reasonable._

_But it's oh so hard when I don't wanna be._

_If you're looking for that nice girl from the day before,_

_Don't bother. She don't live here anymore._

_'Cause it's me_

_Against_

_The world._

_(Oh what a stupid day!)_

_Yeah, it's me_

_Against_

_The world._

_(Just stay out of my way.)_

_And in case you haven't noticed,_

_And in case you haven't heard._

_It's just me_

_Against_

_The world._

_And the world is winning._

Kanna played one note over and over while Ayame drummed through the bridge with her.

_I'm gonna be impossible._

_I've gotta tell you, I'm seein' red._

_I'm gonna be impossible._

_I've gotta tell you, I'm seein' red._

Rin and Kagura joined them again as they got back up to speed for the chorus.

_I'm gonna be impossible._

_I've gotta tell you, I'm seein' red._

_I'm gonna make you believe what I said._

_I'm gonna make you._

A beat to pause before they broke into the chorus head-on.

_'Cause it's me_

_Against_

_The world._

_(Oh what a stupid day!)_

_Yeah, it's me_

_Against_

_The world._

_(Just stay out of my way.)_

_And in case you haven't noticed,_

_And in case you haven't heard._

Kagura changed up the chorus to work towards the ending.

_It's just me_

_Against_

_The world._

_(Oh what a stupid day!)_

_Yeah, it's me_

_Against_

_The world._

_(Just stay out of my way.)_

_And in case you haven't noticed._

_And in case you haven't hear-r-rd_

The elemental youkai drew out the last word to shout the end of the chorus.

_It's me_

_Against_

_The world,_

_"And the world is winning,"_ the youkai sang whiningly.

The girls pounded one note at the same time and let the feedback from the amps end the song for them.

The small group of friends and family for the other bands stood to attention and applauded, screaming for more, thoroughly thrashing any chance that their loved ones might have had.

The girls walked offstage and looked around at the boys staring back at them.

"What?" Kagura glared at them. "You never knew girls could actually play?"

The men coughed and found packing up their instruments to be much more amusing. The only other girls in the room stared back and smiled.

"Way to go," the buxom one said. "Knock those arrogant bastards down a peg."

"I thought you were friends with those two guys in your band," Rin had the most perplexed look on her face.

"Jet-person and Spike-person are nice," the girl said, "but they get moody-groody-foody-doody."

The girls stared at her like she'd grown two heads. Then they turned their questioning eyes back to the whistling-nonchalantly woman.

"I'm just with them for the meal ticket," she explained. "Jet has too many problems and Spike is still stuck up on his on-again, off-again girlfriend out there. Too moody." She waved her hand in front of her face as if to dismiss a bad odor. "Come on Ed. Stupid wants to get out of here as soon as they announce the results."

The woman walked off with the girl following closely behind, her arms spread out to her sides and making airplane noises to go with her childish song about socks as she weaved along the corridor.

"Well, that was odd." Kagura stared after them. The girls nodded their heads in agreement.

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Hey all! Long time no read. Sorry about that. It took me too long to figure out how to set up this chapter. It was supposed to be this great big ol' battle of the bands thing and I don't think it came out too great. But you tell me what you think. I'm pretty sure everyone got who was in what bands. Except maybe Suzaku's Warriors, but that's just because Adult Swim won't pony up and buy the rights to show Fushigi Yugi at eleven or so at night. Anyway, I digress.**

**If anyone can tell me the names of the songs and/or bands that play them, I'll give you a cookie. And I mean all of them, not just the ones Mortis and Kamikaze played. If not, after the last chapter I will post a chapter on what songs were in what chapters and who played them, including the ones I just hinted at.**

**Oooh! I almost forgot to tell you! I got a puppy for my 21st birthday! Yeah, only four months late on that birthday surprise. Thanks Mom! She's so cute. A little rat terrier and she's only seven weeks old, so she keeps urinating and defecating on my floor. Now that's something I _love_ to step in when I'm half awake! Seriously though, I love her to pieces. And Boo gets along with her. I guess she likes to have a playmate. And yes, Boo is a she. I found this out when I took her to get fixed. "Surprise, Ms. Floozy, your cat is not a male. It's a FE-male." Hehehe.**

**And now, for everyone's favorite part. Seeing your name at the end of my fic!**

**Let's see…..who's first:**

**_Adam_: Aw. Thanks. Patronage means you keep coming back for more. "Thank you, sir. May I have another?" Ooh, or more like, "Thanks for the beer Harry. See ya tomorrow." : )**

**_Owari Nai Yumes_: Sweet! I don't pay much attention to the end credits. And no, Kagome is in no danger. I think Inuyasha can protect her pretty good. Plus crazy Jak doesn't know who she is. And yes, Inu is one sexy beast. I wish I were Kagome too. Sometimes. When he runs off after Kikyo in the series my heart breaks a little bit. Then I find myself screaming at the screen about what an idiot he is. But I have to keep in mind that he is a man created by an old woman. Take from that statement what you will…..**

**_Demonpriestess07_: Aw, shucks. I missed you too. Hope you liked this one.**

**_Sky: _Thank you :D**

**_Amber_: Yo. Thanks. And I hope you liked this one just as much. Personally I think I had _too_ much music in this one. Xx But I'll find out later what everyone really thought.**

**_Sakuragurl_: Thankies. Hope this was a fast enough update that you didn't get bored waiting for it.**

**_Yashaloves69_: Thanks. Nice name by the way. I bet he does.**

**_Kazume_: Thanks. You're so cute. XD And damn! That is some expensive $$ gas. Hope it still isn't that high now.**

**_GothMistress_: Thanks! And I agree. Bon Jovi rocks out loud for old guys! They still got it.**

**_Yana5_: Thanks for reviewing. And yeah, I hope so too.**

**_Alatero_: Thank you. I hope you like this chapter too. And thanks for commenting on my other fic. I'm still writing it, but it takes me so long to put two and two together on those chapters. It's been four months and I'm _almost_ done with chapter 16. Sigh. I really need some help on it…..**

**_Rain_: You'd think he would, but then he just keeps getting it shoved back up there. Bet Cheney helps him do it. Ah, I don't know if anyone will end up with Sesshy. Don't even know if he'll make an appearance. I mean, I love Sir Hotness to death, but the only way he could make it in here is if they go through some legal trouble. Brain storm! Like with Kikyo's deal gone wrong or something. And if I do get him in here, I don't like him to be paired with anyone. Except maybe an adult Rin. Just because he's such a tight-ass and she's so bubbly. Get him to loosen up and enjoy life. And thank you. I DO need to hear it. Reviews are what keeps me going. If I didn't get such positive feedback, then I'd be doing my whole over-analyzing thing and talk myself out of putting some stuff in there and leaving out other stuff. Like I did on my last one. Takes me six months to write one chapter. Now THAT'S the one I need reviews on, if only to tell me what the hell I should put in.**

**_Kagomereincarnated_: THANK YOU! Hope I didn't disappoint. And if you can tell me how to get a hyperlink to show up on FF I will. Or I can just give y'all the address. Dunno what I'll do yet. Ja!**

**_Tawdry Lassie_: Sweet. A litre is, like, half a gallon right? So if .93 (is that Euros or pounds?) is almost two dollars, which is way high on our end of the exchange rate (I'd hate to see how much a Snickers would cost me over there), then one of our gallons would cost you almost four bucks. Shit. I think you have the highest priced gas I've heard of yet. Coheed and Cambria. Hm. Not really. The first song from them I don't even remember. I _do _remember that I thought it was a chick band until the guy turned around and then I just scared at the screen. He doesn't look like he'd have that voice. But the second single, I think it was called 'Blood-Red Summer' (?), that one was awesome! And the video reminded me of that movie 28 Days…..Later or something like that. It's like the British version of Outbreak. And you can see the main guys ding-dong in the first fifteen minutes of the movie. Hehehe. That was a little much, but it was a good movie. Have you seen it?**

**_Rosepetals_: Aw. You totally made me blush. Thank you. I- I don't know what else to say. Thank you. : )**

**And so ends my ANs for chapter 13. Hope you all enjoyed it. And if not…..for shame. On me. I tried though, gotta give me props this chapter was freakin' long. Took me two weeks to write the damn thing.**

**So R&R…..or I will send my giant gorilla after you.**

**JK.**

**I don't have a giant gorilla.**

**But if I did…..**


	14. Chapter Bob Continued

**Disclaimer: The crooked man who lived in a crooked house was too busy trying to get his house up to code to get them for me. Also Blink 182 does not belong to me. Even though they broke up, they still rock on in my heart. Love you Mark, Tom and Travis!**

**Chapter 14: Chapter Bob continues…..**

"Totosai give me your phone." Inuyasha held out his hand, waiting for the old man to comply.

"Why?" He slowly handed to phone over.

"I need to talk to the head of the label." He punched send once he found the number on the contacts list. "After watching the girls I finally figured out an argument."

"What is it?" Miroku asked.

"Shut up." Inuyasha listened intently to the other end. "Hey, it's Inuyasha…..Sengoku…..Yeah, I need to talk to the head…..Because I have something to ask him about our next tour…..Yes, it's urgent!…..I'll hold." He started tapping his foot.

"What is your plan Inuyasha?" Miroku asked tightly.

The hanyou sighed and slid his eyes over to his best friend. "We've changed our sound, so we need to get people from our first album mindset to our next album mindset." Sango looked at him blankly. As did Totosai.

"So we need two bands to make that transition," Miroku smiled. "Good idea. But that only lets us take two. What about the other three?"

"I'm going to tell this guy to get over here and scan the underground circuit for some new stuff. New York isn't the only place that has great music."

_(AN: Like Oklahoma! We're not some dustbowl, inbred, hillbilly state like everyone seems to think. And I happen to have a full set of gleaming white teeth, thank you. I mean, come on, Ms. Oklahoma won the Ms. America pageant in 1998, or something like that. Plus, The All-American Rejects aren't our only band, ya know. Sheesh! But I digress.)_

"Sounds like a good plan, for once." Sango gave him a pat on the back. The hanyou growled and hit Miroku over the head.

"Ow, Inuyasha! What was that for?" The monk shouted.

"Humph, why not?" Inuyasha turned his attention back to the phone. "Yeah, I'm still here…..Thanks…..Mr. Takagi, this is Inu-…..Oh, you do…..Yes I have an argument that actually makes sense!…..Well, I'll tell you when I'm damn good and- Miroku! Give that back!"

"Let the eloquent ones speak." He put the phone to his ear. "Mr. Takagi?…..This is Miroku…..Yes. What my crass friend was trying to say, is that we're going back to our old sound on this next one and we need someone to bridge the gap between the two genres…..No we haven't discussed this change with the company…..Well, I guess we thought you'd be fine with…..No…..No…..Yes he-…..Um…..Uh, we…..Sango, take the phone and try to explain."

He practically threw the phone to the taijiya who deftly caught it and waited for the yelling on the other end to calm before putting it up to her ear. "Mr. Takagi?…..Sango…..Yes, we understand the 'possible repercussions of our actions'…..Sir…..Sir…..Sir, if you would please just listen…..Thank you. We believe that since we were discovered playing upbeat songs, it would be acceptable to revert back to that sound. If you have any reservations, we will rewrite and record the entire thing over. But it will take a lot longer than the three weeks you gave us to be done with it……Yes, sir, I think it would be in the best interest of the company to trust that our decision regarding this is best….." She raised a brow. "No, sir, I don't think that Totosai is a 'poo-poo headed doormat of a manager' who's 'too incompetent to deal with people a quarter of his age'…..Well, he might be a little flighty and senile, but he's a good manager otherwise…..Thank you sir…..Uh-huh. Goodbye." She sighed and pushed the end button.

"Well?" Inuyasha asked from where he was holding back Totosai's meager attacks to get to the phone and tell the head just what he thought of that.

"I just saved Totosai's job," she said dryly.

The hanyou growled. "And?"

Sango half-heartedly smiled. "He gave us two. No more."

"We can deal with two." Miroku ran a hand through his hair. "I just feel bad that we can't do anything about the others."

"I can talk to him about setting up a scouting expedition." Totosai picked at a hangnail.

"Is that for recruitment or poaching?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow.

"Burn!" Miroku screamed.

Sango tried hard not to smile. "So, have we decided on the two we're taking with us?"

"I think that was decided before they started to perform." Miroku rolled his eyes. "Why else would our argument be that we needed one serious band and one giddy band?"

"So you all agree then?" Totosai looked around at them.

They nodded and said in unison, "Mortis and Kamikaze."

&&&&

The bands crowded around backstage waiting for the verdict, even though it was pretty much apparent who had won. They were all glaring at the group of four females like they were the cause of world hunger.

"Why are they staring at us like they want to eat us?" Rin asked Ayame.

"Because they know we rock and totally kicked their asses," the wolf explained.

"Oh. Okay."

Kagura looked back towards the stage, waiting for the emcee to come and say that they'd reached a decision.

"This is taking way too long." The elemental turned back to her band. "I'm going to leave. Who's coming with?"

"You can't just leave Kagura," Rin pleaded. "What if they announce it right after we go?"

"Would that be so bad? We didn't want to come in the first place and they know where to find us. No big."

"But-"

"No buts! The only reason I agreed to come was to see if they really meant what they said about changing their sound," Kagura sighed. "If they keep ignoring us like this, then I don't even want to know."

"They're changing their sound?" Tasuki was suddenly at her side.

"That's what they said."

"Maybe that's why they kept all us punkers and not those rock-heads." He laughed shortly. "Makes sense now. Wondered why they did that."

Kyoukotsu sneered as he overheard their conversation. "Why would they want to sound like all of you?"

Kagura glared up to the ten foot high man. "Maybe 'cause we actually sound good!"

"Why you bitc-"

"Kyoukotsu!" Ren yelled. "Shut up. Not everything is about you!"

"That's a good one brother." He crossed his arms. "But I think you're mistaken."

"You think?" The lead singer lifted a sardonic brow and stared at the giant. "Cause from where I'm standing, all you got is your size."

"I'm stronger than you shrimp."

"You wanna prove that?"

"Let's go."

Rin looked between the glaring men. "Is this normal for them?" She asked their drummer.

"Yeah," Suikotsu sighed. "Kyou doesn't like to admit the Earth circles around the Sun, and Ren tries to bring him down. Mega-man over there used to pull the same stuff with Bankotsu. He's our leader."

"Leader?" Ayame frowned. "Sounds like your in a gang or something."

"In a way. We'd call him our older brother, but that's not really accurate." Suikotsu thought back, wondering why he was sharing all this with these girls. "All five of us were adopted, and one more too. Our foster parents only had one boy, Bankotsu. He was born a few years before we got brought into their home, but he's the youngest. And the one with the best ideas. He's really strong too, stronger than Kyoukotsu over there, though Kyou doesn't like to admit it."

"Are they really gonna fight in here?" Tasuki took a defensive stance between Kagura and the bickering men. The woman just rolled her eyes.

"No, they usually reduce each other to half-assed insults right about," he looked at his pocket watch, "now."

"You pansy assed son of a bitch."

"At least I don't smell like a road killed skunk."

"Oh yeah, well, you, uh," Kyou couldn't find anything worse than what had already been said. "Booger-brain."

"Good one, I'll have to remember that next time I meet a three-year-old." Ren tilted his head back and laughed.

"Shut up," Kyoukotsu sulked. "You're dumb."

"No, you're dumb."

"No, you're dumb, stupid."

"That's so redundant, stupid."

"Shut up."

"Make me."

"Oh god." Suikotsu sat on one of the cases carrying his drums. "This could go on for hours."

The people watching the moron fest around him just nodded.

&&&&

"Sorry I'm late," Kagome said out of breath. "I didn't think it would take five hours to find one outfit. Should've known better." She sighed and collapsed into a seat beside Inuyasha.

"That's fine." He leaned over and kissed her forehead. "You missed everyone playing but we haven't announced the winner yet."

"Do you _know_ the winner?"

"Yeah. We got two."

"Two? They let you pick two?"

"I had to talk them into it, but yeah."

"_You _talked them into it?" Miroku asked sarcastically.

"We all did." The hanyou admitted.

"Aw, you're so humble." She kissed his cheek.

"Come on." He tried to hide his blush by giving her a bone crushing hug and burying his face in her neck. "Don't say stuff like that in front of the guys."

"Alright." She lifted his head from her shoulder. "How can I make it up to you?"

He gave her a lopsided smile. "I can think of a few ways."

"Really?" Kagome smiled with a sparkle in her eye. "Something like this?"

Moving in with a saucy smirk, she tentatively touched his lips. Slowly moving her tongue to lap at him, she gained access and dominated the kiss. With a growl, he surged up and grasped her hair in his fist, tilting her head back and taking control of the lip lock with an ardor to rival a cat in heat.

After getting over the shock that Inuyasha would allow this to happen in public, Sango wolf-whistled and Miroku tried to cop a feel on the distracted taijiya. But only succeeded in getting another red handprint on his face.

The mood broken, Kagome and Inuyasha reluctantly broke apart.

"Later, lover. Promise," the hanyou whispered huskily.

Kagome blushed beet red at the endearment meant for her ears only.

Miroku cleared his throat. "Shouldn't we be announcing the winner now that we know how many we can have?"

"I _guess_ we can do it now," Sango feigned exasperation. "After all, we've made them wait almost an hour."

"Because of me?" Kagome turned big, dewy eyes to her boyfriend.

"Naw. 'Cause we were negotiating," he clarified.

"Ah."

"So, let's do it. Totosai," Inuyasha snapped his fingers at the old man, "get the guy."

"Aye, aye Captain Dick." The youkai mock-saluted. "Tator," he finished lamely after catching Inuyasha's glare and, cowering, went to find the emcee.

&&&&

The emcee gathered the bands and brought them back onstage. What few people were left whistled and cheered for their respective loved ones.

"Ready girls?" Kagura asked over her shoulder.

"Yeah," they chorused and prepared to carry out the plan.

"Thanks for waiting," Miroku shouted to the stage full of people. "We wish that we could take all of you with us, unfortunately our label won't allow it. So we've reached an agreement with them and each other. We can only take two and we've chosen Kamikaze and Mortis." The crowd grumbled and some of them started to leave. "I'm sorry to you all, but we will get someone down here to check out the club scene. So keep yourself out there and available. Thank you and-"

"Wait!" A young woman's voice boomed over the milling people. They stopped and turned. "Since we were auditioning for your newest album, could we have a preview?"

The crowd parted to reveal Kamikaze standing tall and looking defiantly at Sengoku. Each of the girls switched expressions immediately, once the people had parted, to an assuaging look of pleading desperation.

"Yeah!" and "Let's hear it!" was heard from the bands and even the people in the chairs.

"We can't disappoint our fans, Inuyasha," Miroku stated.

"But what song are we gonna do?" Sango looked at the boys.

The hoard of people watching them held their breaths as it seemed to them that the band was discussing if they should or not.

"I don't know." Inuyasha looked at Kagome, begging her to say something that would make some kind of difference.

"You need one to show them what you'll be playing next time. Maybe one of your happy ones?" She shrugged, having next to no clue what their new songs were.

"I think I know what we could play," Sango grinned. "How about that one Inuyasha wrote after his _big night_." She slid her eyes to Kagome who looked back with confusion.

"What night?" the girl asked.

Miroku grinned and also looked at Kagome. "You mean the night that he-"

"Yes."

"I love that one."

"Then let's do it."

They all stood and moved towards the stage. Everyone released their breath, resulting in a wind effect to come rushing from the bleachers, ruffling Sango's hair, plastering Inuyasha's to his head and mussing Miroku's bangs. The girls in the crowd squealed and the boys whooped and hollered.

"What one are we doing?" Inuyasha asked.

"First Date," Sango answered.

"Oh, _that_ one," Miroku sulked.

"What one did you think I was talking about?" The girl frowned.

"Nothing!" He said quickly.

Sango narrowed her eyes at the monk. "You were thinking about that perverted one he wrote after he…..weren't you!"

"Noooooooo?" He drew out.

"I thought we decided not to do that one."

"Maybe," he jumped onstage, "maybe not."

"Grrrr. Boys!" She threw her hands in the air. It caused everyone to cheer. "Oh, forget it." She grabbed a bass and waited for the cue to start.

Miroku pounded on his drums to open in a tripping manner. Inuyasha and Sango joined strumming a fast and upbeat melody. Inuyasha backed off for Miroku and Sango to take up the melody while he sang.

He grabbed the microphone and leaned forward, staring at Kagome. Hoping she knew when this was written, he smiled widely at her, causing the other girls around to swoon and/or scream. She smiled back.

_In the car I just can't wait_

_To pick you up on our very first date._

_Is it cool if I hold your hand?_

_Is it wrong if I think it's lame to dance?_

He joined his friends with one note strumming over and over.

Sango had forgotten why she was so exasperated by this time into the song and was swaying while she played, absolutely hypnotizing Miroku. He couldn't keep his eyes off the straight line of her back swooping into a curving waist that accentuated itself whenever she moved back and forth.

_'Hmmmm, me so horny. Mm-mm, me so horny,'_ he chanted along with the Asian girl singing in his head.

_Do you like my stupid hair?_

_Would you guess that I didn't know what to wear?_

_I'm just scared of what you think._

_You make me nervous so I really can't eat._

Kagome had to laugh at that. _'Liar. You ate like a pig.'_

The hanyou's one note turned into a quick riff. The riff punctuated the end of the first two lines, and was joined by the drums and bass for the third. Miroku also harmonized with him on the vocals for the third line.

A swivel of his hips was used to further punctuate it. And to make Kagome smile.

_Let's go_

_Don't wait_

_This night's almost over_

_Honest_

_Let's make_

_This night last forever_

The chorus hailed back to the beginning when they opened the song with a jam session.

_Forever_

_And ever_

_Let's make this last forever_

_Forever_

_And ever_

_Let's make this last forever_

Inuyasha pulled back again to repeat the same signature for the duration of the song. Kagome was laughing loudly by this time and it almost made him forget the words. He loved her laugh.

_When you smile I melt inside._

_I'm not worthy for a minute of your time._

_I really wish it was only me and you._

_I'm jealous of everybody in the room._

His eyes turned dewy as he sang the next part. Kagome just laughed harder. '_He pulls that look off a little too well.'_

_Please don't look at me with those eyes._

_Please don't hint that you're capable of lies._

_I dread the thought of our very first kiss._

_A target that I'm probably gonna miss._

_'You never miss!' _She wanted to scream out, but bit her tongue, choosing instead to laugh again when he moved his hips again for the chorus.

_Let's go_

_Don't wait_

_This night's almost over_

_Honest_

_Let's make_

_This night last forever_

_Forever_

_And ever_

_Let's make this last forever_

_Forever_

_And ever_

_Let's make this last forever_

Sango strummed a triple meter ascending chord and nodded her head. Inuyasha slowly filtered in at a higher pitch and Miroku hit one note for every three that they played to complete the bridge.

The hanyou blew a kiss at his love and the girls in the audience screamed louder. Kagome looked around and glared at them. It went unnoticed.

When Miroku hit four drums one after the other, they knew it time to end.

_Let's go_

_Don't wait_

_This night's almost over_

_Honest_

_Let's make_

_This night last forever_

_Forever_

_And ever_

_Let's make this last forever_

_Forever_

_And ever_

_Let's make this last forever_

Inuyasha changed the standard chorus to reach the song's end. Instead of downing the last note in 'forever' he went up in his vocal range to reach it.

_Forever_

_And ever_

_Let's make this last forever_

And then he reverted back to end it.

_Forever_

_And ever_

_Let's make this last forever_

Like the girls they ended with slight feedback. Everyone screamed and cheered. Kagome jumped from her seat and rushed the stage, creating a mass exodus from the chairs. Inuyasha caught her arm and swung her up, drawing her into a searing kiss, staking her claim to him and his to her. Luckily the girls from the crowd stayed at the bottom of the stage, pawing to catch a finger to pet.

"Wow," Kagura sighed as she watched them behind the curtain.

"Way better than they used to play," Rin squealed.

"Almost as good as their old stuff," Kanna smiled.

"It was just as good I think," Ayame defended.

"Enough of this." Kagura stomped out. "Good job. We'll be happy to head your tour."

Inuyasha smiled into Kagome's eyes. "Good."

"Very good," she agreed.

"I don't think they're talking to us," Rin quietly said.

"They're in their own world," Sango sighed. "Again."

"This happens often?" Kagura cocked a brow at the bassist.

"Only every time they're together." Miroku laid a hand on Sango's shoulder.

"Hand, monk," Sango growled.

"But my dove," he began with a boyish smile, "why waste the good vibes here?"

Sango blushed and shrugged off his hand. "Because you have no taste."

"Are you saying that you are tasteless?"

"What! NO!" She turned around to smack him, but he caught her hand first.

"Such a lovely palm." He traced the lines from her wrist to her fingertips. "Should I read it for you?"

"I don't think so." She tried to control the shivers running down her spine as she stared into his violet eyes. But they felt too delicious to dismiss.

_'Where did the air go?_'She wondered as his eyes got more intense in their perusal of her face. _'I want him to kiss me. Is that wrong?'_ No matter the arguments her brain had, her heart told her that anything with him was right. _'But why _now_?'_

She broke his gaze and looked at Kagome and Inuyasha. They were glancing at her from the corner of their eyes. They knew something. Something she couldn't figure out.

"What's wrong with you people!" She shouted and stomped away.

"I think we've just seen the first step to self-actualization," Kagome said matter-of-factly.

"You think?" Inuyasha looked at Miroku. The monk was staring after Sango with longing. Suddenly he ran after her. "I think we've just seen the first step across the line of friends to lovers."

"Same thing." The girl shrugged and looked around. "When did all these people get here?"

The entire crowd was staring and all the bands were trying to be inconspicuous. Except for Kagura and the girls.

"We've been waiting here for you to come down from your cloud for five minutes," the elemental said dryly.

The couple blushed and laughed nervously.

&&&&

"Sango wait!" Miroku yelled down the short hallway. "Don't leave yet. Please."

His pleading tone made her turn. "I have no reason to stay. We're done here."

He caught up to her. "Are we?" His hand was gentle as it sought hers.

"Miroku, don't do this." Her eyes were troubled as they peered into his. "Not now. I need some time alone."

"For what?" He frowned. "To talk yourself out of the way you felt back there?" He dropped her hand. "Damnit Sango, why can't you just let yourself feel for once, instead of trying to be detached from everything and everyone? Especially me."

"Miroku don't-"

"Sango, you know how I feel about you, don't you? I've been trying to show you for years, but it just doesn't seem like you get it."

"What have you been trying to show me, Miroku?" She glared. "That you like to grope women? That you have a thing for my ass? What?"

"That I love you, okay!" His angry gaze softened as he realized what he'd said. "I love you. And I want the world to know it."

Sango was shocked by his confession. She'd figured he'd just been trying to get in her pants since she was the most accessible woman half the time. This was the last thing she'd expected.

"You love me?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." His hands settled on her shoulders. The warm weight was comforting. "I….._love_…..you."

She shrugged out of his hold. "I need some time Miroku. I told you that already. If you really loved me then you'd respect my wishes."

His eyes burned when she walked out the door to the parking lot. "This did not go the way I always thought it would." He banged his head against the brick wall. "Ow."

**That Night**

"Is it me, or is something wrong here?" Kagome asked Inuyasha when they'd gotten back from a light dinner to find the house deserted.

"It's not you." He sniffed the air and found the house to be completely empty. "No ones here, but they should've been back hours ago."

"Wonder where they are….." Kagome racked her brain to think of where they could be.

It was a Wednesday night, so not the Jewel. They might be out together, but they all drove their own cars. She thought Totosai would be home at least.

"Who cares," her boyfriend said grandly. "We've got the place to ourselves and I know what I wanna do." He pulled her into his arms and smiled a predatory grin.

"What's that?" She asked innocently.

He smiled gently at her. "Do you love me?"

She grinned back. "You know I do."

"And do you want to be with me forever?"

"As far as I can tell." She half-joked.

His smile dropped. "Now either you do or you don't."

"Well, that's a really big question, Inuyasha." Her brow creased as she thought about where he could possibly be going with this. Was he going to ask her to marry him? Did she love him enough to say yes?

"It _is_ a very big question, Kagome, but I have to know." He stared deeply into her big brown eyes. "I have to know if you want to be with me."

She smiled softly at the pleading look in his amber orbs. "I want to be with you Inuyasha."

Suddenly his lips were on hers. The soft, tentative touch quickly grew into a deep and searing kiss. She was swept away with the heat of it all and her mind melted into a puddle of quivering jelly. He wound his hand around her back and found her strapless bra. With one hand, he undid the clasp and pulled it out of the top, flinging it across the room.

Her own hands were not idle, clenching his shoulders and sliding into his hair, burying themselves in the warmth. Moving to a rhythm of their own, her hips ground into his as she felt the proof of his arousal through her thin pink dress.

The entire time, they had stayed in a tight lip-lock, until he ripped away and stared deeply into her eyes with hazed liquid gold, slowly bleeding into a red.

He gave a low growl and released her. "Run."

"What?" She stumbled backwards as he stalked her. "Where?"

Instead of an answer, he sprang at her with a joyful noise. She screeched and fled. Laughing, she ran through the hall. Last time he did this was at the park. He chased her until she collapsed and then he carried her back to their picnic site where he hand-fed her grapes and stroked her hair until she fell asleep. That was a good day.

For some reason, she thought this might end differently.

Probably because this time, he kept sniffing the air and howling. It would have scared her if she didn't love him so damn much. Instead all she could do was laugh and run. She looked behind her and there he was, leaping down the hall, like an excited puppy.

There was no way she could deny that having him chase her, smell her, and growl for her turned her on. The evidence of that made running easier, extending her hips further and making the glide more effortless.

She leapt through the living room, spinning around the couch and daring him to corner her. He put both hands on the arms and snarled playfully at her smiling face. She faked running one way and took off the other. His growl sounded like a chuckle as he followed her erratic movements.

Her chest began to hurt as the tug of her unbound breasts bounced up and down as she ran. She looked for her bra but couldn't find it. Racing through the kitchen and up the stairs, she thought, _'I'll find it later. This is no time to worry about stretch marks.'_ Her hands held them steady while she continued to play the prey.

At the top of the stairs, the corridor spread before her, giving two choices of where to run. She turned down a hall, catching her weight on a pillar and slinging herself around it. She could hear him sniffing, trying to figure which way she went. Seeing an open door, she ducked into one of the guest bathrooms.

The miko stepped into the clean tub and ducked behind the curtain. It was spacious enough to accommodate her laying flat on the bottom. Kagome tried to control her rapid breathing. She could hear him now, smelling the doorway. Her heart thudded, it was only a matter of time.

Inuyasha had stalked her through the hall, giving her time to try to escape him. She could ever escape him. His predatory instincts urged him on and all he could do was obey the rush of power coming from deep within.

Blood was rushing through his body, making his entire being thrum with restrained desire. From the bottom of his toes up his spine to his brain, surging back down to his nose heightening his senses even further and on to his straining member, eager for it's mate.

Her scent was clinging around him and all of his attention was focused on finding the source of that intoxicating aroma. He followed it down one end of the house, tracing it into one caged chamber. She was in here, he could smell it. Careful not to frighten his prey, he moved through the room. Finding her scent to be strongest in the porcelain tub, he pulled back the curtain and smirked at what he found.

Kagome had curled into a ball, hoping to prolong the chase. She closed her eyes tightly, childishly believing the myth that if you couldn't see it, it couldn't see you. Yet, at the same time, with adult knowledge, knowing that that was a bunch of bull.

She heard his growl and cracked one eye to find him leaning over the lip mere inches from her face, his eyes red and glowing. She screeched, causing him to rear back and hold his ears. He growled louder and leaned forward again, intending to haul her from the tub and into his arms. At the last second, she twisted and sprang out.

She didn't get far.

He caught her around the middle before she could leave and carried her back to his lair. The place where his own scent was strongest in the whole house. His human self reminded him that it was called his room, not lair. No matter. His bitch was in his arms and he was going to prove to her how strong and capable a mate he would be for her.

(AN: Continued on under the same name)

**&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&**

**Well all. Nice to see you back so soon. Notice I left it there, huh? Yeah, finally got around to it. I haven't been laid in a month and it's bubbling to the surface. Damn 'boyfriend' broke up with me. For the fourth time. We both knew it wouldn't last, but we thought we'd give it one last shot. Now he won't give me back my house key. Or even talk to me.**

**Bastard.**

**But I won't let that get me down. Even though I feel at this time that all men…..correction…..all _straight_ men, should be thrown on a deserted island and shot. We've all felt this way at one time or another, right girls?**

**Yeah.**

**Anyway, tell me what you think of this chapter. It's kinda short on ya'lls end. Sorry 'bout that, but I don't wanna get kicked off. So, yeah, Review Replies!**

_Adam: _**I'm just keepin' on, keepin' on, ya know? Bloodhound gang? Isn't that a rap group? I think I've heard of them but I'm not sure. Any other songs I might know by them?**

_Tawdry Lassie: _**Back home? You mean you're not from the UK? 8 BUCKS! SHIT! I could buy, like, two Sonic burgers for that. Or eight double cheeseburgers at McDonalds. Damn. And I thought we had it rough over here.**

_Koukou Ra-men:_** Thanks? Sigh. I _had_ to put that singing in. Otherwise the chapter would've been like this. "Great show," said Kagura. "Yeah it was," said Inuyasha. "Why didn't you come to our audition." "I don't wanna be famous!" "You can come to tomorrows battle," said Miroku. Girls coerce Kagura to do it. Lalala. Everyone scrambles to get ready. Lalala. "We kicked ass!" said Ayame. "We rock!" Rin shouted. That's it. I tried to make this chapter's song more interesting. Sorry about that.**

_LWL: _**UGABUGA! Snorts. Good one. Don't worry about rambling on. I'm just glad you actually read it and thought it was good. Did you ever finish your homework, young lady? Oh, and…..Thank you!**

_Inu-bunny 3883:_** Thanks for reviewing twice! _'I like your hair.'_ Random quote for you.**

_Xoxcharminxox: _**Hmmmm. Well, it didn't stand for anything. In fact, I thought about calling it Chapter Stan, or Tom, or Dick, or Harry. But now that you mention it…… Wow. The things that I don't even know that are floating around up there that actually mean something other than just floating around up there are actually something substantial floating around, uh, down here. Thanks!**

_Demonpreistess07: _**Thanks you. I wasn't sure that anyone actually liked it until I posted it and found that most people were annoyed by it. How did you know about the Freaky Friday one? I don't think I ever said it was from there. But which one are you talking about? There was two off that soundtrack….. I dunno. Anyway, thanks you!**

_Sedaika:_** Thank you so much! Compliments make me write faster.**

_Kazume: _**BOOGERS! Hahahahahahahahaha. Oh, god. I swear, that's one of the funniest and most confusing words in the English language. Next to onomatopoeia. And deuce. _'What the deuce?' - Stewie Griffin_. Yeah, gas station attendants need to be knocked down a peg. They're all like 'Do you want your windows cleaned while I piss in your gas tank?' Not really, but I've never even seen an attendant here. And you were the only one to guess. While you didn't get all of them, I will give you a cookie anyway for a valiant effort. Yes to #1. Fushigi Yugi - The Young and The Hopeless by Good Charlotte. Love Them! And yes, their newest CD _rocksssss!_ #2 Yu Yu Hakusho (kudos) - Out Of Control by Hoobastank (I'd forget their name too. Who would want to put 'stank' in their name?) #3 Cowboy Bebop (YAY!) - Art of Losing by American Hi-Fi (They don't have many songs on the radio, don't sweat it) #4 You got this one totally right, so I won't say. #5 Yes, the girls - Me vs. The World by Halo Friendlies (A rockin girl band with no airplay. Stupid male run industry) I hope you got over your cold. And a cymbal banging monkey is a great description of your brain on germs.**

_Yana 5: _**Thank you.**

_Goth Mistress: _**Thanks. I needed all the encouragement I could get.**

**And so, my ducks, I promise from here on out, I will be skipping around since I'm towards the end. Only three or so more chapters. And the music in here will be kept to a minimum. Mainly because I always skip through most songs people put in their fics, unless it's really relevant to the story. And even though this is a band fic, and I wanted to actually _get_ music in a band fic, the story has now evolved beyond the music. Focusing mainly on the relationships and shit will be hard, but I know what's going on. So stay with me. If I actually get through this, it will be my first epic fic to finish. The other one…..going on three years and still not done. Mainly from discouragement. I'm thinking of scrapping it and starting from the beginning. I don't know. Tell me what I should do! I don't even think people are reading it anymore. Sucks that I put so much work into it and no one appreciates it. Damnit! What is the world coming to!**

**Okay, I'm done. R&R!**

**P.S. Check out Destiny, Time Travelers and a Little Baby. That's the one I keep talking about. A little shameless self promotion never hurt anyone. 'Cept maybe me…..**


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